


wanna tell you

by classicalreader313



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Asexual Character, Bisexual Character, Closeted Character, College, College AU, Coming Out, Crushes, Denial of Feelings, Drunkenness, Emo, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Friendship, Gay Character, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Character of Color, LGBTQ Themes, Lesbian Character, M/M, Mild Language, Misunderstandings, OT8 Friendship, Party, Platonic Life Partners, Roommates, There's a weird amount of throwing up in this story, Underage Drinking, University, University AU, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-05-20 20:54:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 29,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6024523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/classicalreader313/pseuds/classicalreader313
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Obi-Wan went to college, he left behind the boy who had been his best friend all his life, Anakin Skywalker. Now that Anakin has enrolled in the same university, how will Obi-Wan's life change?</p><p>I'll update tags as I add more characters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This boy didn’t look nervous at all. In fact, he looked confident. A small smile played on his lips, and Obi-Wan raked his eyes over the tanned skin and shaggy dark hair. “Oh, no,” he breathed out.
> 
> It was Anakin.

Freshman orientation.

The campus was crawling with kids, lost and confused and realizing that college would be a lot tougher than they thought. Parents followed close behind, concerned and wanting to spend as much time as possible before they would inevitably have to leave their kids behind.

Obi-Wan Kenobi had planned on getting off campus for orientation- he remembered the exhausting crowd from last year, when he was a freshman- but his friend Padmé Amidala had asked him to keep her company as she put the final touches on a paper she’d been working on for the last few weeks.

“I can’t believe you’re doing schoolwork before the year has even started,” Obi-Wan said, resting his chin in his hand as a french fry dangled lazily between his fingers.

Padmé looked up from her papers, currently covered in her own corrections written in bright red pen. “I need to get on Palpatine’s good side,” she reminded him. “If this paper is any good, he’ll like me. I know you’d do the same thing.”

It was true, and Obi-Wan sighed. Padmé had that look on her face that she always got when she was stressing about something but doing her best to repress it. Her forehead creased as her eyebrows drew together and her teeth ground against her bottom lip. She was certainly a perfectionist, and he knew he needed to distract her before she became obsessive.

“How about I get you a sandwich or something?” he offered, eating another french fry. They sat at a table in the sun and across the quad was one of the campus’s few cafeterias. “I’ll pay. White fish salad? How does that sound?”

It was a moment before Padmé looked up. She capped her pen before fixing him with her dark eyes. “Is that the most Jewish sandwich you can think of?” she teased, sweeping her long hair over her shoulder. “But yes, that sounds good. I’ve been reading this same page over for hours. It won’t do me any good to keep going.”

Obi-Wan was glad that she had at least that much sense. His studious friend was very prone to overworking herself. He frequently had to check in to make sure she was eating and getting enough sleep. She was only a sophomore, like him, but she was already thinking seriously about her career. That was why she was writing this paper to begin with. If Professor Palpatine, the head of the political science department, took a liking to her, he could set her up with an internship. That was what Padmé wanted more than anything.

Many of the freshman and their families had gone to the main cafeteria for lunch, so the small café across from the quad was fairly empty. Most students wanted to be out in the summer sunshine, so only a few occupied the tables close to the windows.

He ordered Padmé’s sandwich as well as another side of fries for himself. As he waited, he looked out the windows. He could see his friend sitting on the other side of the quad, easily recognizable by the cascade of dark curls spilling down her back. Students crushed the green grass beneath their feet as they passed frisbees back and forth, and freshman stood on the brick sidewalks, eyes trained on a campus map as their families crowded around them. 

Inside the café, it was cool and empty. Obi-Wan was fortunate to have missed much of the bustle of orientation day. After he had gotten the sandwich and the fries, he once again stepped out into the sunlight and made his way back to Padmé. The quad was now crawling with new students.

“Some seminar must’ve just let out,” he remarked to his friend as he sat down across from her, passing her the sandwich.

“I checked the schedule,” Padmé replied, unwrapping the sandwich and rubbing her hands in delight. White fish salad was her favorite. Even on a hot day like today. “Some engineering thing.”

Obi-Wan nodded in understanding and dug into the basket of fries. He hadn’t much considered food quality while he was searching for colleges, but he was glad he had decided on one with such a good cafeteria. The two friends sat in silence as they ate, and Obi-Wan took to scanning the crowd of new students. They all looked nervous, unsure of where they were going.

Until his eyes locked on one face. This boy didn’t look nervous at all. In fact, he looked confident. A small smile played on his lips, and Obi-Wan raked his eyes over the tanned skin and shaggy dark hair. “Oh, no,” he breathed out. This boy had noticed him.

“Obi-Wan!” he called out, pleased. Padmé turned around to look at the boy and then looked back to her friend.

“Who’s that?” she asked.

Obi-Wan had blanched considerably but he answered in a low voice, “We, uh, we were best friends in high school.”

“Oh,” Padmé gasped in recognition. “He’s that hot guy from your Facebook? The one you talk about a lot?”

“Shhh,” he hissed, because the boy had just come up to the table.

“Obi-Wan,” the boy repeated, running his hands through his brown hair. It did little to calm his messy locks.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan greeted, and the boy pulled him into a tight hug. They separated and Obi-Wan was met with those blue eyes he hadn’t seen in… what, a year? Oh, god, why was this happening? “I didn’t know you enrolled here.”

“I just wanted to surprise you,” Anakin smiled. “And you definitely look surprised.”

Obi-Wan realized that he must have an absolutely shell-shocked look on his face, so he rearranged his expression into an amicable smile. Padmé gave him a look across the table, but he barely noticed her. How could he when Anakin Skywalker was standing right in front of him?

“Well, I have to go set my room up,” Anakin said. “But I think we have a lot to talk about. I’ll see you later?”

Obi-Wan nodded. “See you later,” he echoed.

As soon as Anakin left, Padmé leaned over the table. “What the hell was that?” she asked. One eyebrow was raised, and he knew she’d be unrelenting until he explained himself.

Obi-Wan sighed before giving in. “Okay, I might not have told you the complete truth about Anakin.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> College already wasn’t treating him well. The heat beating down on the brick sidewalks was suffocating, and the campus was so big that it was impossible to find out where he needed to go. He would ask Obi-Wan for help, but he was pretty sure his friend hated him.

Padmé leaned back in her seat, lips rounded into a shocked ‘o.’

“So… you had a giant crush on him in high school?” she asked.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan nodded. “And I know it’s bad. You don’t need to tell me.”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s not  _ bad,  _ Obi-Wan,” she assured. She took a bite from her sandwich, which had lain ignored for a few minutes as her friend explained his plight. “It’s normal. Plus, like I said, he’s kinda hot.”

“Padmé, please stop calling him hot. That’s my ex-best friend you’re talking about,” he pleaded. Unlike her, he had not resumed eating and his fries sat abandoned.

“Oh yeah, you didn’t explain that part,” she recalled. “Why’s he your  _ ex- _ best friend?”

“Well, we never really had a fight, or anything. But like, I’m guessing we’re not best friends considering I’ve kinda been ignoring him since graduation.” He rushed the last part, but there was no mistaking the shocked look on Padmé’s face. He plowed ahead, and what he said only deepened his friend’s judgement. “When I went home this summer, he wanted to get together, but I just ignored his texts.”

“Why would you do that?” Padmé burst out. “That makes no sense. You  _ like  _ him!”

“I had no chance. It was easier to try and get over him if I didn’t see him,” he explained, glumly resting his chin in his hands. “But now he’s back and everything sucks all over again.”

Padmé saw that her friend was on the brink of falling into a dangerously low mood. “Hey, don’t worry. He’s a freshman  _ and  _ an engineering student. You’re not going to see him that much anyways.”

Obi-Wan shrugged. “I guess that’s true.”

“Of course it’s true. Now chin up and eat your fries,” Padmé ordered.

When she spoke in that tone, he obeyed, no questions asked. He resumed eating in silence, trying to push thoughts of Anakin far from his mind. It was just as difficult as it sounded.

////

Anakin was having a hard time finding his room. He had zoned out through most of his orientation seminars, and had spent more time searching for Obi-Wan than he had looking for his dorm building or classrooms. The day was an absolute mess.

Seeing Obi-Wan again had actually shook him up. His old friend almost didn’t look happy to see him. It really worried Anakin. 

College already wasn’t treating him well. The heat beating down on the brick sidewalks was suffocating, and the campus was so big that it was impossible to find out where he needed to go. He would ask Obi-Wan for help, but he was pretty sure his friend hated him.

He was so disoriented that he barely jolted when he collided with another student, nearly knocking them to the ground. He looked down and saw that it was a girl, much shorter in stature than him. She had long dreadlocks, some dyed blue, some white, but most of them a deep brown, just a little darker than her skin tone. She had bright, alert eyes, and she was currently glaring at him.

“Watch where you’re going,” she said, and gave a quick glance to his name tag, “skyguy.” Though the nickname was ridiculous, she spoke fiercely. He wasn’t the only one in a less than stellar mood.

“It’s Sky _ walker,”  _ he corrected. If she was going to be hostile with him, he could reply in turn. “Anakin Skywalker. No need to be so snippy.” He looked to her name tag, desperately trying to come up with some sort of offensive nickname based off her name.  _ Ahsoka Tano?  _ He couldn’t come up with anything mean, much less pronounce it. “Ahs-”

“Ahsoka Tano,” she cut in. “No one can pronounce it. I’d rather not see you butcher it.” Her short temper had seemingly evaporated, so Anakin allowed himself to relax.

He nodded and repeated, “Ahsoka Tano.”

“Do you have any idea where we are?” she asked. She had a map in her hands, but it didn’t seem to be getting her anywhere. “This thing’s no help.”

Anakin looked closer at the map, furrowing his eyebrows. “Well, it’s upside down. You know that, right?”

Ahsoka’s eyes widened and she looked back to the map. Flustered, she turned the map. “Uh, yeah, of course I knew that. I just thought it’d help. Like, uh, like getting a new perspective.”

“I think we’ll have more luck rightside up,” Anakin said, easy smile back on his face. “But, to be honest, I’m lost, too.”

“Great,” Ahsoka groaned. “Some help you are.”

“Hey, cool it, snips,” he shot back and took the map from her.

“Snips?” she repeated, raising an eyebrow at him.

Anakin lifted his eyes from the map to look at her. “I don’t know. You called me skyguy. I figured you needed a vaguely insulting nickname too, considering we’re stuck in this mess together.”

“Fair enough,” she shrugged. “What dorm building are you in?”

“Coruscant,” he answered, tracing his finger over the map. It was hard enough to find where they were, much less where they needed to be.

“Hey, me too,” the girl said excitedly. “I guess we’ll be seeing each other a lot.”

“I guess so,” he nodded. It was hard to focus on the map with all her talking, but he felt like he had a vague idea of the direction of their dorms. He pointed the way and they began to walk. “You’re an engineering student, right? I think I saw you at seminar.” With her brightly dyed hair, Ahsoka was certainly memorable.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “I’ve got Yularen’s class in two days.  _ Two days!  _ How am I supposed to get settled in just  _ two days.” _

“I think I’m in that class, too,” Anakin said. He actually knew for a fact, but he didn’t want to betray that he had been studying his schedule non-stop since it had arrived in the mail.

Ahsoka looked over to him, surveying him intently. He grew uncomfortable under her gaze. “I like you, skyguy. I won’t mind having you around.”

Anakin was taken aback as they finally reached the dorm building. He supposed they made a good enough team.

“Thanks, snips. You’re not too bad yourself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka's here! There will be a lot more characters next chapter, as they meet their roommates and all that. I hope you're enjoying.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin sat in his desk chair, with the door wide open. He’d be open to his roommate or just about anyone stopping by.
> 
> Except maybe that weird Threepio.

Anakin had just finished lugging his bags up the stairs and now stood in the hallway, wiping the sweat from his forehead. The dorms in Coruscant were fortunately air conditioned, but the heat from the summer afternoon outside still clung to him. He let out a deep breath and started down the hall, searching for his room, when suddenly a boy with platinum blond hair jumped out in front of him. Anakin stepped back, startled.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you,” the boy spoke, his voice tinged with an unmistakable British accent. He wore a yellow polo shirt and khaki pants. It was an unsightly outfit. Tucked under his arm was a clipboard, which he then took in his hands, scanning the list of names. “I’m Threepio. What’s your name?”

“Threepio? That some sort of nickname?” the dark-haired boy asked. “I’m Anakin Skywalker.”

“Yes, it’s a nickname I’ve had ever since I enrolled here. I’m a junior this year.” He beckoned Anakin to follow and led him down the hallway. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Anakin. Your roommate will be Mr. Rex Fett. I believe he stepped out to get something to eat.”

Anakin nodded. This guy was no doubt weird. Why was he so formal? “It’s just Anakin. No need to call me mister,” he said, dragging his suitcase into the room. One side had clearly been claimed by Rex, so he let his suitcase lean against the left wall. The beds were set up high- high enough that he’d need to jump a bit to get up there. Underneath was a dresser. He grinned as he thought of Ahsoka trying to get up to her bed. Her short stature would certainly present a problem.

“We’ll be convening at five to go to dinner as a hall,” Threepio told him from the doorway. “If you need any help, just give me a call. I’m in room 302.”

“Thanks,” Anakin smiled before turning his back on his RA. He opened up his suitcase and books and balled up clothes spilled out into a heap on the floor.

He had a lot of work to do.

////

Ahsoka Tano had found to her horror that her room was on the fifth floor.

And there was no elevator. 

She laboriously dragged her heavy suitcase up all the flights of stairs, her hair swishing with the effort. A few people passed and gave her pitying looks, but none stopped to help. It was enough to push her frustration to the breaking point.

Finally, however, she reached the top. She was just about to denounce the entire university when a girl walked out into the hall, a blue beanie shoved down over her hair. A clipboard dangled by her side. She wore a grey and black flannel and she smiled as she saw Ahsoka.

“Hey. I’m Artoo,” she greeted and drew closer.

“I’m Ahsoka Tano,” the girl answered. “I think this is my floor?”

The RA’s eyes scanned down the list, and she nodded. “Yep, you’re in the right place. First day’s tough, right?”

Ahsoka grinned as she followed her down the hall. “You can say that again.”

Artoo handed her the room key, and the girl set down her bag to unlock the door. One side of the room was already impeccably organized. “Wow.”

“That’s the work of Barriss. I think her mom dragged her off to look at the library.”

Ahsoka nodded as she stepped inside, setting her bag down. 

“If you need anything, I’ll be down the hall. The rest of the girls are probably in the commons room. That’s in 503.”

“Thanks, Artoo,” Ahsoka said. “I think I’ll spend some time in here getting settled. Maybe beat this Barriss at her own game.”

Artoo grinned. “Good luck,” she replied. “I’ll be down in 500.”

Ahsoka nodded and the older girl left her alone.

She walked over to Barriss’ side of the room. She had put a cork board up over her bed, and Ahsoka leaned close, looking at the pictures pinned up. Most of them showed a girl with brown skin and a dark blue hijab- sitting and laughing with friends, giving speeches, petting a cat. Ahsoka smiled a bit in spite of herself. She normally found herself at odds with excessively clean people, but Barriss looked cute.

She turned back to her side of the room. The bed was not only extremely high up, but it was completely bare. Her bag sat on the floor, bursting at the seams with essential items. Ahsoka sat on the floor by her bag. Opening it up, she was met with the sight up poorly folded clothes, wrinkled sheets, books, and shoes, among a plethora of other items.

She looked back to Barriss’ side of the room and then back to her own bag. Beating Barriss was completely out of the question.

Maybe they could match?

////

Anakin had gotten his room into order as best as he could. His roommate had organized his own things with almost militant precision. His own side looked disappointing in comparison. 

He sat in his desk chair, with the door wide open. He’d be open to his roommate or just about anyone stopping by.

Except maybe that weird Threepio.

Anakin was leaning back in his desk chair, reading some sci-fi adventure story that he had probably read a hundred times. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of red hair.

“Obi-Wan?” he called.

Out in the hall, the older boy froze.  _ Shit.  _ He had known that freshman were joining the hall, but why did it have to be Anakin? He retraced his steps so he was at Anakin’s door.

“Hi,” he greeted. “You find everything okay?”

Anakin shrugged. “I had a bit of trouble, but I met a friend who helped me out. She’s up on level five.”

“Oh, that’s Padmé’s floor,” Obi-Wan remarked.

Anakin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Who’s Padmé?”

“My friend from lunch.”

“Oh, I didn’t notice her. I guess I was too excited to see you.”

Obi-Wan’s stomach twisted at those words. He knew Anakin meant nothing by it, but sentiments like that led the older boy into wishful thinking territory. 

The sound of footsteps down the hall caught Obi-Wan’s attention, and he turned to see his roommate, Cody, walking with another boy who looked.... exactly like him?

“Obi-Wan,” Cody greeted fondly, and the other was glad for the distraction from Anakin.

“Cody, it’s good to see you,” he smiled. “Who’s this?”

“This is my younger brother, Rex,” he introduced, and the boy in question waved. “This is his room.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” Obi-Wan said. He turned back to Anakin. “Your roommate’s here, so I’ll be seeing you around.”

As Rex got comfortable, he and Cody headed down the hall to their room. Obi-Wan let out a sigh of relief. Cody kept a wary eye on his friend.

As soon as the two were in their room, the Fett boy fixed Obi-Wan with a scrutinous look. 

“What?” the redhead asked innocently.

“What was happening back there?”

Obi-Wan let out a sigh, and- for the second time that day- he began to explain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I read this article where R2D2 was a lesbian and C3PO was gay so that's what I did here I hope you enjoy


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka smiled at the four. Maybe here, she could have what she never had back home. She hoped they could all be friends.

“Oh, so you’re really gay for this guy?” Obi-Wan’s roommate asked, sitting up on his bed.

“ _ Cody,”  _ he hissed.

“Relax, the door’s shut,” Cody assured, grinning. “That’s actually kind of adorable.”

Obi-Wan gave his friend a withering look. “It’s  _ not _ ,” he stressed. “It’s sad and stupid.”

He shook his head. “No. I mean, I thought you just saw him and thought he was good-looking or whatever, which is cool. But knowing that you guys have been friends for ages, that’s cute.”

He rolled his eyes. “We’ll just agree to disagree then.”

////

Across the hall, Anakin leaned back in his desk chair. Rex leaned against the tall bed.

The two stared at each other in a showdown, sizing the other up. The only words they had exchanged were simple greetings.

Anakin didn’t thrive in silence, however. He needed to speak, no matter how awkward it may come out.

“You look a lot like your brother,” he said.

He held his breath, awaiting his roommate’s response.

Fortunately, Rex cracked a smile. “Yeah, we get that a lot. When we were toddlers, we looked even more alike. Our parents always got us mixed up.”

Before silence could descend once again, Anakin asked, “How are you so organized? Your side is so clean.”

Rex’s smile was back once again, his lips just barely curling up to reveal his teeth. “I did ROTC in high school. You pick up things like that. It’s actually sort of how I got here.”

Anakin nodded. He had also had a tough time raising funds for college. He worked throughout much of high school in the town’s auto shop, which gave him some money. His mother also contributed as much as she could. A scholarship from the school covered most of the rest.

“I don’t know if I introduced myself, and if I did, it was probably kind of lame. I’m Anakin Skywalker.” He extended his hand.

“Rex Fett,” his roommate said and shook Anakin’s hand. He had a strong grip.

As their hands fell back to their sides, Threepio appeared in the doorway. “Oh, Mr. Rex, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” the golden haired boy said. “I’m Threepio.”

Rex looked to the doorway and nodded his greeting, looking a little surprised.

“We’ll all be heading down for dinner soon, if you’d like to come and grow acquainted with your hallmates.”

Threepio left once more, his clipboard under his arm. 

Rex and Anakin exchanged glances as they left the room. The dark-haired boy turned to shut and lock the door and Rex leaned in. “Is he always like that?” he asked softly.

Anakin burst into laughter, the noise sounding loud and foreign in the quiet dorm halls. 

“Yeah, he is.”

////

Ahsoka had put away all her clothes and set her knick-knacks up at her desk before she even attempted to put the sheets on her bed. The bed nearly came up to her shoulders. The only way to get up there was to run from Barriss’ side and try to launch herself up.

With her sheets balled up in her fists, she braced herself against Barriss’ dresser before sprinting forward at full speed. She jumped up, and- with a little shimmying- she was sitting on her bed, her sheets a mess around her.

“So far, so good,” she said to herself, and then began to wrestle around with her sheets, trying to get her bed as presentable as her roommate’s.

As she struggled, she didn’t hear the door open.

“Dear, do you need a hand with that?”

Ahsoka spun around. There stood the girl from the photos, her roommate, Barriss. She wore the dark blue hijab from most of the photos, and she was dressed in a white blouse and a pair of jeans. Standing a bit in front of Barriss was the woman who spoke, who Ahsoka assumed was her mother.

She realized that she really did need a hand. She had only succeeded in getting herself twisted up in her sheets. As she got down from the bed, muttering her thanks, Barriss’ mom instantly took her place. She pulled the fitted sheet over the mattress and then moved in a flurry, folding and tucking sheets in their proper places. Fluffing pillows. She was truly a force to be reckoned with.

Barriss stuck close to her desk, and Ahsoka gravitated towards her.

“I’m really sorry about my mom,” Barriss said in a low voice.

Ahsoka looked to her with a smile. “Don’t worry about it.”

Barriss was just as cute as she had looked in her pictures, and she gifted Ahsoka with a close-lipped smile.

“All done,” Barriss’ mom said, hopping down from the bed. “Dear, make sure to wash your sheets regularly. And it wouldn’t hurt to iron them. I’ve already briefed Barriss on all this, so she’ll be able to help you.”

Ahsoka looked back to her roommate, and Barriss shrugged helplessly. Yes, this woman certainly was a force to be reckoned with.

“Thank you, ma’am,” she said. “I’m Ahsoka Tano.”

“Ahsoka, it’s nice to meet you,” the woman nodded. “I’m Luminara Unduli. Barriss, aren’t you going to introduce yourself?”

Barriss nodded quickly. “Barriss at your service. It’s very nice to meet you, Ahsoka.”

Ahsoka gave the girl a smile. It looked like she needed it.

“Barriss, it’ll be dark soon, and I should be getting home.”

“Of course,” Barriss said.

Ahsoka busied herself with organizing her desk while the mother and daughter said goodbye. While her bed was looking good, her belongings were in disarray. She was afraid to open her drawers to see the messy folding job she’d done.

Soon, Luminara was gone, and Ahsoka looked back at her roommate. “Your mom’s a lot to handle.”

Barriss looked surprise that Ahsoka had spoken, but she gave her a small smile. “Sorry. I told her to tone it down. I didn’t expect her to attack your bed.”

Ahsoka laughed as Artoo appeared in the doorway.

“Valiant effort, Tano, but I think Unduli’s got you beat,” the RA said. “We’re heading down to dinner if you two want to come with.”

Ahsoka nodded as Artoo went to gather more girls.

“What does she mean? I’ve got you beat?” Barriss asked, tilting her head to the side. 

“Oh, earlier I was saying how I’d have a more organized side than yours, but you win by far,” Ahsoka said, searching in her desk drawer for her key.

“I must admit, my mom did most of the organizing.” Ahsoka snorted at that. It wasn’t hard to believe. “But I can try and help you later.”

“Thanks,” Ahsoka said, straightening up, her key in her hand. “Come on, let’s go.”

The two girls left the room, locking the door behind them, and went to join the others for dinner.

////

Padmé was glad to have a single room.

It wasn’t that she wouldn’t like having a roommate. It was just that with her schedule she was up very early in the morning and usually didn’t go to sleep until very late at night. She was always working on something.

She was at her desk, once again working on her paper. The page was nearly entirely covered in red ink. The brunette looked up as she heard a knock on her door. “Coming,” she called as she got up, rubbing her temples. It wasn’t healthy to be this stressed before the year had even begun.

She opened the door and all she saw was a blur of pastel purple hair before someone’s arms were tightly around her. “Riyo!” she cried happily, hugging her friend back. “Oh, I’ve missed you. How was your summer?”

Riyo Chuchi pulled back, her eyes flashing. “It was great. How about yours? Did you work yourself too hard?”

Padmé sighed and nodded. “I’ve been working on this paper for the last few weeks, and it’s a mess. An absolute mess!”

Riyo took her friend’s arm. “Hey, I’ll look at it later. But now, how about we go get something to eat?”

The brunette nodded and allowed her friend to lead her down the hall.

In the stairwell, they ran into Obi-Wan.

“I was just coming up to get you,” he said. “But I’m glad to see there’s someone else looking out for you. Nice to see you again, Riyo.”

“Hi, Obi-Wan,” the purple-haired girl chirped happily. “I just knew if someone didn’t come get her she’d keep herself locked up in her room all night.

Padmé rolled her eyes. “Come on, guys. I’m not  _ that  _ bad.”

Riyo and Obi-Wan exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.

“Nice joke, Padmé,” Riyo grinned and nudged her.

“You guys are  _ awful _ .”

////

“Skyguy!”

That’s all Anakin heard before a small body launched against him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Rex’s eyes widened as he watched the attack from behind.

“Snips?” Anakin asked, her real name escaping him at the moment. “Get off my back! You’ve known me for, what? Like, two hours?”

“So I need to know you for three before I jump you?” she asked, but nonetheless let go. “Anakin, this is my roommate, Barriss Unduli.”

“Nice to meet you,” Anakin nodded, before looking back to his own roommate. “Rex, this is…” He faltered, wracking his brain. “This is Snips.”

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. “I’m Ahsoka Tano,” she introduced. “But it’s nice to know I made such an impression, skyguy.”

He scowled at her. “I guess you won’t go, so we all might as well find a table.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Barriss said, and Rex nodded. 

Ahsoka smiled at the four. Maybe here, she could have what she never had back home. She hoped they could all be friends.

The three had already begun to thread their way through the crowd of students, and she gladly followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed. comments are appreciated


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No, there was no fun to be had.
> 
> At a frat party, it was only possible to have fun if you were completely wasted.

It was the first official night back on campus, which only meant one thing.

A party.

Riyo had been invited. She spread the news to Padmé. Who spread it to Obi-Wan. Who spread it to Cody. Who spread it to Rex. Who spread it to Anakin. Who spread it to Ahsoka. Who spread it to Barriss.

The eight of them now stood in the front lawn of some frat house.

“I’ve never been to a party like this,” Barriss whispered to Ahsoka.

Actually, she hadn’t been to many parties. The rowdiest event she’d been to had been her mother’s 40th birthday party. And this college party was certainly rowdy.

Even in the yard, they could hear the music thumping. The heat from the day still lingered around them, and Obi-Wan found himself coming down with a headache. Couple that with Anakin staring him down from across the circle, and the redhead was ready for a nap.

“I think we should go in. I really need a drink,” he said, and Cody and Padmé looked to him in surprise.

“I agree,” Ahsoka said. She linked arms with Barriss. She felt responsibly for her ridiculously sheltered roommate.

Anakin laughed. “Come on, Snips, aren’t you like 12?”

She stuck her tongue out at him. In a way she was proving his point. “I’m 17. Now let’s go, skyguy.”

“This is really illegal,” Padmé warned.

“I don’t remember you complaining when I invited you,” Riyo teased, and grabbed Padmé’s arm, pulling her to the house.

The Fett siblings exchanged a look. They knew they’d regret this, but they weren’t about to let their friends go get themselves killed. Or have all the fun.

////

No, there was no fun to be had.

At a frat party, it was only possible to have fun if you were completely wasted.

Obi-Wan had a few beers and was feeling pleasantly buzzed when Anakin came over to him, obviously having had a lot more to drink.

“That Snips can really, really handle her beer,” he said, slumping down besides Obi-Wan.

“She out-drank you?” Obi-Wan asked.

The dark-haired boy nodded.

“I’m not surprised. You never really could handle your liquor.”

“Obi, I think we should talk.”

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows. Whatever Anakin had to say, he wasn’t really prepared to hear it. “Anakin, whatever conversation you want to have can wait until you’re sober.”

“But…” Anakin frowned. “I just wanted to ask you about what happened after you graduated. I… I didn’t hear from you for so long. You- you ignored me.”

Just then, Obi-Wan remembered how emotional Anakin got when he was drunk. His friend’s lower lip trembled and his voice was raw.

Great.

////

“Ahsoka, I think you’ve had enough,” Barriss advised, closing her hand over the beer can in her roommate’s hand.

“Barriss, the night is young! We’re young, too. You sure you don’t want to try?” Ahsoka raved, spinning around, out of Barriss’ reach.

The other girl stood there, hands on her hips, as she was jostled by other students.

“Yes, I’m sure I don’t want to try. I didn’t come to college just to get kicked out before classes even started.” She told herself that the only reason she even cared about Ahsoka was because she was her roommate.

That was it.

“You won’t get kicked out. Come on, just one taste.” Ahsoka reached for Barriss’ hand, but the other girl shook off her grip.

“I need to get you out of here,” Barriss insisted, but her roommate was beyond reason. She scanned the room, looking for someone she knew. She saw Rex over near the corner of the room and went over to him. She poked his back. “Rex!” she called above the music, trying to get his attention.

The Fett brother turned to her. “I’m Cody. What do you need?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Cody. I was wondering if you could help me get Ahsoka out of here?”

Cody chuckled. “She’s that bad?”

“I don’t have much to compare it with, but she seems bad to me,” Barriss said. “I’m just worried about her.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I’ll help you get her back to your room.” They moved away from the wall and Cody surveyed the partygoers. “Where is she?”

Fear took over Barriss as she took off, Cody right behind her. Ahsoka wasn’t where she had left her. Why would she expect her to be there? Why did she even care?

Barriss knew why she cared, and her stomach twisted in knots.

“She’s over there!”

Barriss looked where Cody pointed, and relief washed over her as she saw Ahsoka with Anakin, spinning him around and dipping him low like a ballroom dancer.

“Let’s go,” Barriss said, and the two headed over.

////

Obi-Wan was glad when Ahsoka showed up. She was now nearly as tipsy as Anakin, and easily distracted the dark-haired boy from whatever intense emotions had taken over as he spoke with Obi-Wan.

The redhead knew that he would soon have to address what had happened in the past with Anakin, but now he was content to watch as the two spun around in a mock waltz. He didn’t know Ahsoka, but she seemed a good match for Anakin. Their fiery personalities clashed and blended nicely.

As the two continued dancing, the volume of the trio’s laughs rivaled that of the music.

////

“Riyo, you promised you’d look over my paper tonight. It’s almost midnight,” Padmé said over the music as her buzzed, purple-haired friend tried to pull her close to dance.

“Padmé, just dance with me. I’ll help you with your paper tomorrow,” she promised.

“But Riyo, it’s really important. This could get me on Palpatine’s good side. You know how important that is.”

The other girl rolled her eyes. “Padmé. We’re at a _party._ You’re the only person I know who could possibly be freaking out about homework at a party. _Before_ the school year has even begun. Come on, just let loose for one night. Dance with me?”

Padmé shrugged. Her friend had a point. She was an out of control stress case. Obi-Wan had told her many times. Riyo had told her. Even Ahsoka Tano, who had barely known her for an hour, could tell. Just one dance wouldn’t hurt.

“Fine.”

Riyo squealed with joy and pulled Padmé out onto the dance floor.

The two disappeared into the crowd, their voices drowned out by the blasting music.

////

“Thank you so much, Cody,” Barriss said as she stood in the doorway.

It hadn’t been easy to drag Ahsoka away from Anakin and they party, but the two had succeeded, even if it meant that Cody had to carry Ahsoka back to her dorm on his back.

“No problem, Barriss. Make sure you keep her hydrated.”

The girl nodded. “Will do.” She waved to Cody as he left before shutting the door, turning to face Ahsoka.

“Why’d you have to call the cops on me?” she whined, leaning back in her desk chair.

“That wasn’t the cops. That was Cody,” Barriss explained. “And I got you out of there because I was worried about you.”

Ahsoka just sat there, but nodded glumly.

“Now, I’m going to get you a glass of water. While I’m gone, can you change into your pajamas?” Barriss’ mom had insisted that she bring her water bottle, so she grabbed that as Ahsoka nodded.

“Sure thing.”

“Okay, I’ll be back soon. Make sure to get changed.”

She left the room, making sure to bring her key and feeling rather proud of herself. She had never had to take care of a drunk person, but so far she thought she was doing a pretty good job. She padded down the hall to the water fountain outside of the bathroom.

Tomorrow she would deal with making sure Ahsoka showered. She didn’t have a clear idea of what to do with a drunk roommate. Maybe Google could help her out.

Barriss shrugged as she screwed the cap back on the water bottle and headed back to her room. By now Ahsoka would probably be dressed, and all she would have to do is make sure she drank some water and then put her to bed.

She turned her key, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. As she stepped inside, her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat.

Ahsoka stood with her back to her, wearing a pair of sweatpants and a sports bra. Her eyes traveled over her roommate’s back and took in how her dyed dreadlocks looked offset against her dark skin.

“Ahsoka?” she said, her voice shaky, and the girl turned around to face her. She kept her eyes trained intently on her roommate’s face. “I brought you some water.”

“Oh, thanks,” Ahsoka said and took the bottle. She drank, some water spilling down her chin.

“Do you need a shirt?”

“I was just gonna sleep like this,” she said as she fumbled to screw the cap on the water bottle. Barriss took it from her and screwed it closed easily.

“You might catch a cold. It’s a bit chilly,” Barriss insisted.

“It’s August,” Ahsoka countered as she tried to haul herself into bed. It just involved a lot of failed attempts and stumbling. She came dangerously close to falling a few times.

“Let me help you,” Barriss said, stepping in. She picked Ahsoka up easily and set her on her bed. “There you go.” She was taller than her roommate, so she had no trouble.

“Thanks, Barriss. Goodnight,” Ahsoka said sleepily as she pulled the blankets over herself. Before the other girl could even turn off the lights, she was asleep.

Barriss quickly looked away and changed into her pajamas. She shut off the lights and settled into bed, trying not to think too hard about how her hand felt against Ahsoka’s bare skin.

////

“Threepio’s gonna be hard to sneak past,” Obi-Wan said as he, Rex, and Anakin tiptoed up the stairs. Well, Anakin was too far gone to tiptoe, and Rex turned around to shush him every few steps. “It’s pretty late, so hopefully he’ll be asleep.”

It was just their luck to have the only RA in the building who really cared.

“Anakin, shut the hell up,” Rex hissed, and Anakin dissolved into giggles.

“Trust me, he’s not always this infuriating,” Obi-Wan said. “Don’t let his poor decisions destroy your opinion of him forever.”

Rex nodded and slung Anakin’s arm over his shoulder so he could more easily help his roommate up the stairs. “Cody was lucky, he got out of there early.”

“He took Snips,” Anakin whined.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. “We’re almost there. Can you cover his mouth?”

Rex nodded and clamped his hand over Anakin’s mouth as the three reached the third floor and walked as quietly as they could to their rooms near the end of the hall. Rex released Anakin and dug in his pocket for the key.

“Goodnight,” Obi-Wan said. “And good luck with him.

“Night night, Obi,” Anakin waved.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes but hated how his stomach flipped over at his friend’s words.

He waited until the two got into their room and then continued down the hall, shaking his head to himself.

He had really gotten himself in trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you like it!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What do you mean?” she asked, trying to hide her interest. “Not straight? Is that, like… a thing people do here?”
> 
> Padmé and Obi-Wan exchanged confused glances.
> 
> “Being gay? That’s a thing people do, well, everywhere,” he said.

Riyo Chuchi woke up on the floor. Light streamed in through the window and she easily recognized where she was. She caught sight of the posters on the walls and a bit of the sheets hanging off the bed. She was in Padmé’s room.

And there was Padmé, sitting at her desk, working on her paper.

“Padmé, what the hell?” Riyo asked, sitting up, only to lie back back, a dull throbbing in her head. “It’s like 5 AM. Aren’t you hungover?”

“It’s actually 11. And no, I’m not, because I didn’t have anything to drink.”

Riyo really sat up this time. “11?” She got to her feet, despite her aching skull. “You got any aspirin around here?”

“Yeah, in the top drawer,” Padmé said, not looking up from her papers.

“Thanks,” Riyo said as she shook two of the pills out into her palm.

“Bottled water is next to the dresser.”

The purple-haired girl rolled her eyes. Padmé always bought water bottles in bulk. It was just like her to be prepared all the time. “Thanks… again.”

“Hey, you always talk about how you’re looking out for me. Now I’m looking out for you.”

Riyo smiled as she opened her water bottle and took her pills.

////

Waking up hurt.

Before he even opened his eyes, Obi-Wan felt the pounding in his head. It seemed to beat in time with his heart.

“Good morning,” Cody called, obvious glee in his voice.

The volume of his voice sent reverberations of pain shooting through his skull.

“Fuck,” Obi-Wan said in a low voice.

“Glad to see you, too.”

“Come on, you can’t say you’re not hurting, too.”

“No, I’m in perfect shape. I only had one beer. Then I helped get Ahsoka back to her room,” Cody explained. “Those frat boys have got weak stuff.”

Obi-Wan groaned as he sat up in bed. He was scared to see how Anakin was faring.

////

“He’s not here,” Rex said, yawning and leaning against the doorframe. He wasn’t hungover, but he was tired. Last night had been a late one for him. Watching after Anakin Skywalker was exhausting.

“Not here?” Obi-Wan asked, growing concerned. “Where is he?”

“Bathroom,” Rex answered. “I went over to check on him, but turned around when I heard him throwing up. I’m not messing with that.”

“You’re a good friend,” Obi-Wan said, only being partly sarcastic. “But thank you.”

“Happy to help,” Rex said, before shutting the door, going to try and catch another hour of rest.

Obi-Wan headed to the bathroom, and Rex was right. If he hadn’t cared so much about Anakin, he would’ve turned around to. Anakin was definitely throwing up in there. He braced himself before walking in. “Anakin?”

The bathroom threw quiet as the toilet flushed. “In here,” came the choked reply.

Obi-Wan shimmied under the stall door and came to sit by Anakin, who was leaning against the toilet, looking like hell. Normally he would be appalled by the hygiene of sitting on a bathroom floor, but this was Anakin.

He could make an exception.

“You don’t look too great.”

Anakin laughed. “You look pretty bad, too.”

“I’m guessing you’re not up for breakfast,” he said, and the dark-haired boy pulled a face. Obi-Wan paused and gathered his courage. “How about you go clean yourself up and we can go for coffee? Last night you said there was something you wanted to talk to me about.”

“Oh,” Anakin nodded. “Coffee sounds good, but I don’t remember what I said to you.”

“That’s okay. I think there are some things we need to talk about, if you’re up for it.”

Obi-Wan’s tone made Anakin nervous. What had he said last night? “That sounds good,” he said and pushed himself up to his feet. Obi-Wan followed suit.

“You should probably shower before we go.”

Anakin nodded. He unlocked the bathroom stall and the two parted ways.

////

Barriss looked up from the book she was reading as a groan came from her roommate’s bed. When she woke up, she had looked up what to do when you had a hangover, so she had a full bottle of water and a few aspirin waiting for Ahsoka.

“Good morning,” she greeted, making sure to keep her voice low.

The girl looked over, blinking her eyes. “I feel awful,” she croaked.

Barriss hurried over to her bed with the water and pills. “Sit up and then take this pill,” she ordered, and Ahsoka nodded. She leaned against the wall and took the pill and bottle.

The girl tried not to look at the smooth skin on her roommate’s arms and stomach as she drank. Ahsoka handed back the bottle and wiped her mouth on her arm. “I’m really sorry about last night. It wasn’t good to drag you to the party, and I feel bad that you had to take care of me.”

Barriss shook her head. “No, it was really no trouble. I didn’t mind.”

In fact, the whole experience had shown her more of Ahsoka than she wanted to see, and she couldn’t get the sight of the girl standing there in her sports bra out of her head. Nor could she forget the feeling of Ahsoka warm in her arms.

“Just part of being a good roommate.”

Ahsoka smiled. “Well, thanks. I really appreciate. I don’t know what sort of stupid things I would’ve done if you hadn’t stepped in.”

She laid back against her pillows.

“I’m gonna sleep more. My head’s killing me.”

Barriss nodded and offered, “I was going to get some lunch. Would you like something?”

Ahsoka shook her head. “No, I don’t think my stomach could take it. Have fun.”

The other girl grabbed her keys and backpack, leaving her roommate to sleep it off.

////

Anakin and Obi-Wan settled in a corner of the dim café. The sunlight streamed through the front windows and did nothing for their still painful headaches.

The dark-haired boy wasted no time and asked, as soon as they sat down, “What did you want to talk to me about?” His blue eyes were worried.

“Anakin, it’s nothing bad,” he assured. But then he paused. What was he going to say? How could he explain why he had spent the last year and a half ignoring Anakin? What, was he just going to say he loved him? No, he had to think fast. “Last night, you talked about how after I graduated, I basically dropped off the face of the earth. And I have no good reason for ignoring you.”

Anakin nodded. “I always wondered why you stopped answering my texts.” There, on his face, was that same hurt from last night. Obi-Wan’s heart ached to see it. Anakin had always felt so intensely.

“It’s a stupid reason, but I just figured that since I’d be miles away at college, we wouldn’t be able to be friends anymore. I figured that if we just ceased contact, it’d be easier than trying and failing to keep in touch. It wouldn’t hurt so bad.”

In all honesty, it had hurt more than anything when he tried to cut Anakin out of his life. He couldn’t stop himself from staying up late to look at his friend’s Facebook page, hoping that he was happy.

“Well, now that I’m here, we can be friends again, right?”

Obi-Wan looked over at the other boy. Anakin looked so hopeful, so vulnerable. He nodded, a small smile on his lips. “Of course we can be friends.”

Anakin’s whole face lit up.

Obi-Wan’s heart clenched in his chest.

////

After coffee, Anakin went back to his room to sleep, and Obi-Wan met Padmé under an umbrella in the quad.

“I’m shocked you even left your room today,” she remarked.

He rolled his eyes. “I only had like three beers. It wasn’t that bad.”

She shrugged and looked back to her papers.

“Come on, don’t tell me you’re working on that _now.”_

“You and Riyo sound exactly the same. There’s nothing wrong with hard work.”

“That’s true, but don’t you want to have fun on your last day before classes start?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Most of my friends are hungover, so that’s a little difficult.” Padmé looked across the quad and caught sight of a girl in a dark blue hijab. “Hey, isn’t that Ahsoka Tano’s roommate?”

Obi-Wan followed her gaze. “Yeah, Barriss.”

“Barriss!” Padmé called, causing her friend to let out a groan and cover his ears. “Ha, and you said you weren’t hungover.”

“I just said it wasn’t so bad,” he ground out as Barriss walked over.

“Hello,” she greeted, and Padmé gestured for her to sit.

“Hi, Barriss. How’s Ahsoka holding up?” the brunette asked.

“She’s asleep. She woke up for a bit and I gave her water and aspirin.”

“That’s good. Obi-Wan over here is suffering, too.” She nudged her friend, and the two began to teasingly bicker.

Barriss watched the easy banter between them as she pulled a cheese sandwich out of her backpack. Obi-Wan and Padmé were now laughing together, and the girl spoke up, “You two get along very well.” She wondered if they were together. They seemed like they’d make a good couple.

“Yes, I guess we do,” Obi-Wan agreed, smiling at the brunette.

“Yeah, it’s a shame we aren’t straight. We’d be some sort of power couple,” Padmé laughed, and Barriss almost choked on her sandwich.

“What do you mean?” she asked, trying to hide her interest. “Not straight? Is that, like… a thing people do here?”

Padmé and Obi-Wan exchanged confused glances.

“Being gay? That’s a thing people do, well, everywhere,” he said.

The brunette girl nodded. “Yeah, we’re not straight.”

Barriss took in a few deep breaths before nodding to them in understanding. The pair looked at her, wary, confused, before the three settled into comfortable conversation once more, Barris mostly playing the part of the listener.

She filed away the knowledge she had learned, and every time she thought of it, her heartbeat quickened.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Obi-Wan, are all our friends gay?”

Classes started. 

With the past behind them, Anakin and Obi-Wan grew close once more. They didn’t have classes together, but they hung out in the dorm and went together for coffee at least once a week.

Padmé finished up her paper and handed it into Palpatine, who gave her glowing praises. She was that much closer to an internship, and it thrilled her.

Ever since the party, Barriss had been somewhat distant towards Ahsoka, and the girl just didn’t understand it. Everything was going so well. She thought that she and Barriss could have been friends, but now all she was getting was the cold shoulder.

She sat on the quad between classes, munching on french fries and explaining her plight to Anakin. “After the party, she insisted it was all good. But then when she came back to the dorm she was acting all weird and wouldn’t talk to me. We haven’t had a decent conversation since. It’s been weeks.” She looked over to her friend helplessly. “Skyguy, everyone seems to like you. What do I do?”

“What do you do currently that makes everyone hate you, or what should you do to make Barriss like you again?” he asked. “The question is a bit unclear.”

She rolled her eyes. “You suck. I hate you,” she said, shoving at him.

“Okay, sorry. I guess this is really serious. The best thing you can do is be open and upfront with her. Ask her what’s going on. Talk it out. That’s what I did with Obi-Wan, and things are good with us again,” Anakin advised.

“Yeah, you’re practically dating,” she teased. The two hadn’t even known each other for a month, but the girl knew how to get under his skin. 

“Hey, shut up. We are not!”

Ahsoka grinned. “If you say so,” she sing-songed, and Anakin scowled at her. “Anyways, thanks for the help. I’m gonna go see if Barriss is in the room.” She got to her feet and shouldered her bag. “You can have the rest of my fries.”

She turned and, as she walked away, a fry hit her squarely in the back. She shook her head and flipped him off over her shoulder.

////

Barriss sat at her desk, proofreading an essay in red pen as she had so often seen Padmé do. The technique worked well, as this way she was so clearly able to see and correct her mistakes. She looked up as she heard the key turn in the lock. Oh, no,  _ Ahsoka. _

It wasn’t that she didn’t like her roommate. In fact, the problem was that she liked her too much. She looked resolutely down at her paper, but the words lost all meaning as Ahsoka stepped into the room.

“Barriss, we need to talk,” she said seriously, dropping her bag by her desk. The girl was dressed in jeans and a tank top, and it was hard not to admire her smooth dark skin.

The other girl stood from her seat, trying to clear these thoughts. “What would you like to talk about?” she asked, her voice calm.

“I think you’re mad at me,” Ahsoka said. “Ever since the party, you’ve been acting kind of weird around me. Before, I thought we were getting along really well, but nowadays it seems like you’re ignoring me.”

Oh, Barriss  _ wished  _ she could ignore Ahsoka. She wished her eyes weren’t drawn to the girl every time she entered a room. She wished her roommate didn’t have this weird hold on her. “I’m not mad at you,” she said. “I’m just sort of shy.” Well, it wasn’t a  _ complete _ lie. “I really do like you, Ahsoka. I’ll try to be better.”

Ahsoka smiled, pleasantly surprised. “That’s such a relief. I thought you hated me.” She bit her lip before asking, “Would you like to get lunch? I left Anakin out on the quad. The three of us could get something to eat together.”

_ Anakin,  _ Barriss thought darkly. He was the reason all these stupid thoughts about Ahsoka were futile. Of course the two were together. How couldn’t they be?

“No, you two can just go. You’re cute together,” Barriss said. Her voice came out tasting bitter.

Okay, that was petty.

Ahsoka looked taken aback. “What?” Then she put it together. “Oh no, Anakin and I aren’t together,” she said and let out a small laugh. “I’m gay.”

There it was. That word again. Barriss froze.

“Oh,” she said, her voice small. “Okay.”

Ahsoka looked confused once more. “If you’re sure you don’t want to go, I’ll leave you be.”

Barriss nodded. “You can go. I’m not really hungry.”

Her roommate nodded and grabbed her things before leaving.

As soon as the door shut, Barriss slumped down in her chair, feeling as if she had just been punched in the gut.

////

“I think I scared her off,” Ahsoka said in defeat, dropping her bag down next to Anakin.

“You’re back so soon? I thought you guys would spend the next few hours bonding,” he said. “I ate all your fries by the way.”

She shook her head. “No, it was going fine. Until it sucked.” She let out a heavy sigh.

“Uh, care to elaborate? I’m not into mind tricks. I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

“She told me she liked me, but she was just shy, which is totally fine. Then I asked her if she wanted to get lunch with me and you. Then she said to just go on ahead, and that we were  _ cute together. _ ”

“Wait,” Anakin spluttered. “She thought  _ we  _ were dating?”

Ahsoka shrugged. “I guess so.”

“Oh, god, can you imagine?” he laughed.

“Yeah, I’d kill you within a week.”

He rolled his eyes. “Okay, so how’d everything start to suck?”

“Well, she seemed kinda unhappy when she thought we were together, and then I told her we weren’t, because I’m gay,” she explained. “And then Barriss got all weird and quiet, so I just left.”

“That is kinda weird,” Anakin agreed. “Maybe she thinks you’re into her.” He paused for a moment. “Wait, are you?”

“God, Anakin, you’re such a gossip girl,” Ahsoka groaned. “And, like, I think she’s kinda cute, but that’s it.” He gasped. “Come on, what is this? Middle school?”

“Okay, sorry. I’ll relax.”

“ _ Thank you.” _

////

Padmé and Obi-Wan were curled up in arm chairs in the library, no longer really working but talking in hushed tones.

“Obi-Wan, are all our friends gay?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

He leaned back, thinking about it. “Well, I’m gay. You’re gay. That’s all I know. I’m not as into everyone’s business as you are.”

She waved him off. “Um, Riyo’s gay. Ahsoka’s a raging lesbian. Anakin’s bi.”

“What?” Obi-Wan asked, immediately sitting up. “Anakin’s bi? How do you know that?”

“He told me,” she answered simply. “Cody and Rex haven’t provided much evidence either way. Barriss is a tough one.” She looked over to his friend and shrugged. “I would try to find out, but I don’t want to be  _ into everyone’s business _ .”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. “You’re awful,” he said as the two picked up textbooks and resumed reading. “But thanks for the Anakin thing.”

Padmé smiled into her book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok i lowkey hate the last scene  
> also i have no idea where this is going sorry if you have any thoughts or ideas please leave it in a comment i am open to suggestions


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I can get Rex to do some snooping,” Cody offered.
> 
> “And have one more person involved in my desperately hopeless love life? No thanks,” Obi-Wan snorted.
> 
> “God, you’re so dramatic,” Padmé accused. “This is exactly why we need to help you."

“Skyguy, I’ve gotta get out of Yularen’s class,” Ahsoka groaned, lying facedown on a blanket in the quad.

Anakin looked over at her, amused. “Can you at least roll over? It’s hard to hear your complaining.”

As she rolled onto her side, she shot daggers at him with her eyes. “I’m serious, though. I  _ hate  _ that class. I hate it so much!”

“Why? Because you sit next to me?”

“That might be part of it,” Ahsoka ground out, flipping to lay on her back, watching the clouds float slowly overhead. “This college thing is hard.”

Anakin nodded as he laid on his back next to her, folding his arms behind his head. “I know what you mean. Sometimes I wish I had just stayed at home and worked in the auto shop.” He sighed. He missed his mom and worried about her more than he was willing to admit. “But it’s worth it in the end.”

Ahsoka nodded. “I guess so. I mean, I met you and everyone else. It’s all just a lot harder than high school was. I wonder if I should have stayed longer. I was supposed to be a senior this year.”

“You skipped a grade?” That would explain why Ahsoka was so young.

“Eh, sort of. Early graduation. It was a whole big thing.” She shrugged. “My dad really pushed it. He was really proud.”

Anakin understood that train of thought. He thought of all the things he’d done just to make his mother proud of him. He’d been on the robotics team, he’d sung choir, he’d played sports. “What’s happened that put you in a mood like this?” he asked. He’d never seen Ahsoka like this. As he looked over at her, she seemed subdued, reflective.

“Well, Yularen’s class  _ is  _ really hard.” He snorted in agreement. “But things are still sort of weird with Barriss. She acts like everything’s okay, but I  _ know  _ something’s bothering her.”

“You could try talking to her about it,” he offered. “Just ask if everything’s okay. If you’re doing something that bothers her.” Anakin had never been good at giving advice. He was always too driven by his emotions to think clearly. He always went to Obi-Wan when he needed help.

Ahsoka sighed and nodded. “Thanks, skyguy.”

“So… you still want to get out of Yularen’s class?” Anakin asked, arching an eyebrow.

She laughed and shook her head. “No. Someone’s gotta keep you out of trouble.”

////

“You know, you guys have been going out to get coffee every week,” Padmé said. “That’s kinda like a date.”

“Padmé, it’s  _ not _ ,” Obi-Wan insisted, laying back on his bed.

“She’s right,” Cody agreed. “That’s a lot like a date.”

“Now you’re involved, too? I have  _ two  _ people who won’t leave me alone?”

Padmé played with the arms of Obi-Wan’s desk chair. “We just want you to be happy. You obviously like this guy. He might not be opposed to the idea.”

“I can get Rex to do some snooping,” Cody offered.

“And have one more person involved in my desperately hopeless love life? No thanks,” Obi-Wan snorted.

“God, you’re so  _ dramatic,”  _ Padmé accused. “This is exactly why we need to help you. I can even ask Ahsoka. She and Anakin are close.”

Obi-Wan shrugged. “Trust me, the idea of us getting together has never crossed his mind. Never.”

“Why’s it so out of the question?” she asked. “I mean, he knows you’re gay.”

“No, he doesn’t.”

Cody raised an eyebrow. “He’s your best friend. How does he not know?”

“It just never came up in conversation,” he defended, looking away from their incredulous stares.

Padmé looked in shock. “Why didn’t you just tell him?”

“God, because if I told him, he’d ask if I liked anyone. And I couldn’t lie to him!” Obi-Wan explained. “Well, I could. But it doesn’t feel good.”

Cody shook his head. “Kenobi, you’re hopeless.”

////

“Is your RA gonna mind that I’m up here?” Anakin asked, nervously looking around as he followed Ahsoka down the hall.

“No. She doesn’t give a shit about anything like that,” Ahsoka said.

“And why exactly am I even here?”

“Because I think Barriss hates me!”

“So bringing your obnoxious friend will make her… not hate you?” He really didn’t follow the plan.

“At least you’re self-aware,” Ahsoka remarked, and he shoved her gently in the shoulder. “I want you to come along so she can see how fun and nice I am. If she sees us talking and having fun, she might stop hating me.”

“This is not a great plan.”

“I know that,” Ahsoka hissed, now that they were outside the door. “But it’s all I’ve got. Get ready to laugh at everything I say.”

Anakin nodded as she pulled out her key and unlocked the door. Inside the room, Barriss was sitting at her desk, working on schoolwork.

“Hi, Barriss,” Ahsoka greeted, and the girl in question looked up quickly, eyes locked on Ahsoka.

“Hi, Ahsoka,” she said with a small smile, and then her eyes shifted to him. “Hello, Anakin.”

He was confused by her reaction to him and threw Ahsoka a questioning look, which she ignored. “We’re just going to hang out in here. Is that okay?”

Barriss was quick to satisfy Ahsoka’s wishes. “Of course! That’s fine.” She looked back to her work as Anakin leaned in close to his friend.

“I don’t think she likes me,” he whispered.

Ahsoka looked confused. “That’s crazy. You haven’t even done anything stupid yet,” she said back. Anakin narrowed his eyes. She smiled toothily back.

“Okay, fine, just get your plan started.”

She nodded, a bit nervously. Somehow she had thought that getting to her room would be the hardest part, but now, with Barriss five feet away, she had no idea what to say.

Anakin saw the panic in her eyes. He knew it was a stupid plan, but he launched into a dramatic monologue. “Oh, Ahsoka,” he began, and the girl looked to him in surprise. “I’m so glad to have a friend like you. You’re so kind, caring, intelligent, and funny. I don’t know if I’d even get through college if not for you.”

Ahsoka looked over and saw that Barriss was peeking over at them curiously. She looked back to Anakin and saw that her friend was still waxing poetic. “Skyguy, cut it out,” she hissed. “It’s overkill.”

He abruptly shut up and rolled his eyes at her. “I’m just following  _ your  _ shit plan.”

“Ahsoka, can I speak with you?”

It was Barriss, who had turned her desk chair around so she was facing the two.

“Oh, yeah, of course,” Ahsoka said and grabbed Anakin by his sleeve, dragging him out of the room.

“Hey, you can’t just kick me out,” he protested, struggling against her death grip.

“Yes, I can. Get lost, skyguy,” she said as she pushed him out into the hall.

“Good luck with your girlfriend,” he teased in a low voice, and she hit him hard on the arm before slamming the door in his face.

“Yes, Barriss?”

Barriss looked up to Ahsoka, still in shock from the display she had just witnessed.

“Well, I was wondering if something was bothering you?”

Ahsoka hadn’t been expecting that. “Really?  _ I _ was wondering if something was bothering  _ you.” _

“Whatever you and Anakin just did… that was  _ weird _ .”

Ahsoka sighed. It really had been weird. How did she think that that plan would make Barriss like her again? “Yeah, it was. It was a stupid idea I had. I thought that if Anakin came in here and said all these nice things about me that you would like me again.”

“I never stopped liking you,” Barriss assured.

Relief washed over Ahsoka. “Really? Oh, thank you.”

Barriss smiled back up at her.

“So… we’re good?” Ahsoka asked.

She nodded. “Yeah, we’re good.”

“Okay, well I’ve gotta go find Anakin and apologize. I’ll see you later.”

“See you later.”

Ahsoka grabbed her bag and keys and then she was gone. As soon as the door shut, Barriss leaned back in her chair, letting out a heavy breath.  _ Good luck with your girlfriend.  _ Why did he say that? What did he mean by that?

Barriss feared for the worst. They knew. They knew her secret. She didn’t know how, but she was sure they did. And they were making fun of her.

Ahsoka was making fun of her.

That hurt more than Barriss cared to admit.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She likes being a meddler,” Riyo added.
> 
> “Took the words right out of my mouth,” Cody said, laughing.
> 
> “Fine, laugh it up,” Padmé said. “But when this works out, you’ll be sorry.”
> 
> “How would them getting together come back to bite us in the ass?” Ahsoka asked.

“Anakin,” Padmé approached the boy, beaming.

He looked up from where he was reclining on the quad. His textbooks were lying forgotten around him. He had quite a few equations to do, but the day was too nice for work.

“A bit chilly to be outside, isn’t it?” she asked. It was early October, a day chilly enough for Padmé to wear her favorite sweater.

“I like it,” he said, looking up at her and shading his eyes. “When I was really little, my mom and I lived in the middle of the desert. I can’t stand the heat.”

She nodded in understanding as she sat down next to him. “I like the cold weather, too. I get to wear sweaters.”

Anakin didn’t know Padmé very well yet- they had never spent any time one-on-one- but he figured she was making some sort of joke, if her easygoing smile was anything to go by. He sat up and looked over to her. The the burgundy sweater she wore was oversized, and would make most people look sloppy, but Padmé could pull it off. Her hair was done in an elaborate bun and not a single hair was out of place.

“I’m not unhappy you’re here,” he started. “But why?”

She smiled and shrugged. “Well, you’re Obi-Wan’s best friend, and I realized I don’t know you very well.”

“Oh,” he nodded, his eyes darkening. “I see what this is. You want to get to know your boyfriend’s best friend.”

Padmé raised her eyebrows. “Boyfriend? Anakin, you’ve seriously misunderstood.” The boy across from her frowned. “Obi-Wan and I aren’t dating. At all.”

////

Obi-Wan was on his way to the cafeteria when he saw Anakin and Padmé sitting on the quad.  _ Oh, no. What is she telling him? _

In a panic, he hurried over to them. Padmé stood up when he approached, a big smile on her face. She was definitely up to something. She turned back to Anakin and said, “Obi-Wan can explain everything. See you boys.”

Anakin looked up to his friend, confusion written on his face as Padmé flashed Obi-Wan a mischievous smile and skipped away. Obi-Wan was equally confused. “What did she tell you?”

////

“Obi-Wan’s going to be pissed,” Riyo said, leaning back against Padmé’s bed.

“I think you might have crossed a line,” Cody agreed, crossing his arms.

“Guys, trust me. I didn’t even bring it up.  _ Anakin  _ did.”

“Wait… when you’re not working yourself to exhaustion over schoolwork, you’re meddling in your friend’s personal lives?” Riyo asked.

“Yes!” Padmé exclaimed. “I mean… no. Not really.” She was met with two thoroughly unconvinced looks. “I think something good will come from this. Obi-Wan really needs it.”

“So, he actually seemed jealous?” Cody asked.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “When he thought Obi-Wan and I were dating, he got this weird look on his face. I think they’re into each other. They just need a little push. From me.”

The purple-haired girl rolled her eyes. “God, Padmé. You’re such a yenta.”

“I never should’ve taught you that word.”

////

Obi-Wan and Anakin were back in the café they frequented every week. 

“So… what exactly did Padmé tell you?” he asked, warming his hands with his cup of coffee.

Anakin shrugged. “Well, I thought you guys were dating, and she said no, and that you’d explain it.”

Obi-Wan was shocked. “You thought we were dating?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know. You guys spend a lot of time together, and you get along. I’m glad you’re not though.” He realized his misstep and spoke quickly, “She’s kinda weird.”

This was a different side to Anakin. His friend was so often brash, loud, and reckless. Now he was quiet. He seemed fragile.

“Padmé is kinda weird,” he agreed. “But I don’t think we could ever date. Well, I know for a fact, actually.” Anakin looked at him confused, and he knew he had to explain himself. He took a sip of his coffee first, hoping to clear his thoughts. “Because she’s gay. And I’m gay.”

“Oh,” Anakin said, looking surprised and… a little pleased. “I didn’t know that.”

Obi-Wan nodded. He was nervous, but it felt good that Anakin knew. “Well, uh, now you do.”

////

“You realize that sitting outside the window is kind of pathetic, right?” Ahsoka asked, looking over to Padmé as she braced her hands against the bench.

“It’s not pathetic. I’m just making sure everything goes okay in there,” she explained. “I’m looking out for Obi-Wan, like you want to look out for Anakin.”

The girl couldn’t argue with that logic. “Fine, I’ll stay for a few more minutes. But it’s  _ cold  _ out here.”

“Bring a sweater next time,” Padmé advised, looking over her shoulder through the window.

“There’s gonna be a next time?” Ahsoka asked, caught off-guard, but then realized that Padmé was too busy being nosy to pay her any mind. “What’s happening now?”

“He just told Anakin he’s gay!” Padmé squealed.

“How do you know that? I can barely see them.”

“I trained myself to read lips.”

“Read lips?” Ahsoka repeated. “What the hell? This is a scary new side to you. Not sure how I feel.”

“Padmé, seriously?”

The two girls turned and saw Riyo Chuchi, her hands on her hips.

“It’s not what it looks like,” Padmé insisted.

“It’s exactly what it looks like,” the pastel-haired girl said. “I just can’t believe you dragged Ahsoka down into yenta hell with you.”

“Riyo, she’s scaring me,” Ahsoka said, and the brunette shot her a betrayed look. “She reads lips.”

“Okay, you two are coming with me. This is ridiculous.” She stormed over to them and took both their hands in a death grip.

“Where are we going?” Padmé asked, panicked. “Obi-Wan might need me.”

“He  _ doesn’t,”  _ Riyo insisted. “Come on, let’s go do something  _ normal,  _ instead of spying on your friends.”

////

“See, isn’t this much better than being a busybody?” Riyo asked.

They were in a café- one on the other side of campus. They had picked up Cody and Rex along the way, and now the five were crammed around a small table. Padmé and Riyo split a blueberry muffin while Ahsoka had hot chocolate. Rex drank coffee and Cody had a weird health drink. Blended spinach or something.

Padmé shrugged. “I guess so. I’m still gonna make Obi-Wan give me all the details later.”

Riyo rolled her eyes. “You wouldn’t be yourself if you didn’t.”

“I don’t get the big deal,” Rex said, and Ahsoka gave him a warning look. “Why does it matter if Skywalker and Kenobi get together?”

“Bad idea,” Ahsoka murmured as Padmé looked to him.

“I just want them to be happy! That’s why this matchmaking thing is such a big deal to me,” Padmé explained. “It might not be a big deal to most people, but I like to bring people together.”

“She likes being a meddler,” Riyo added.

“Took the words right out of my mouth,” Cody said, laughing.

“Fine, laugh it up,” Padmé said. “But when this works out, you’ll be sorry.”

“How would them getting together come back to bite us in the ass?” Ahsoka asked.

The look she was given was withering.

Rex kept laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yenta is a Yiddish word meaning a meddler/busybody/gossip


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You like her, right?” Anakin asked, a smile spreading across his face.
> 
> “I swear to God, skyguy, you’re such a gossip!” she cried, the blush deepening. “But yeah, I kind of do, and I don’t know what to do about it. I don’t really even know her yet.” She looked up to her friend helplessly. “What do I do?”
> 
> “You’re coming to me for advice? That’s really not my thing, considering my life is on the verge of falling apart 24/7,” Anakin replied.
> 
> She raised an eyebrow. “Skyguy, you must’ve had one hell of an emo phase.”

Compared to her own side of the room, Ahsoka’s was bare. While Barriss had pinned up pictures of herself and her friends back home, Ahsoka only had the bare necessities. It was a shame, really, because she wanted to know more about her roommate. She wanted to, but she was too afraid to ask.

Her offer to help Ahsoka organize her side had never been taken up, and Barriss couldn’t believe that she was only a month into college and her roommate wanted nothing to do with her. Ahsoka was gone, like she so often was, off with all her friends.

It was disheartening. Although she was introverted, Barriss didn’t like to be alone.

She stood from her desk and grabbed her jacket and bag. She didn’t know where she was going, but she didn’t want to be all on her own.

////

Padmé, Riyo, Rex, Cody, and Ahsoka were making their way back to the dorms after their time in the cozy café. The sun was dipping low in the sky, burning a brilliant red. The two brothers talked together and Padmé and Riyo walked close to each other, bursting into laughter every now and then. Ahsoka brought up the rear of the group, eyes scanning over the campus, which was mostly deserted. Most students were eating at this time or avoiding the chilly October weather.

Then, across the quad, she saw a lone figure. She squinted and easily recognized the blue hijab and tall figure of her roommate. “Guys, I’ll see you later,” she said to her friends. They waved after her as she ran across the quad towards her roommate.

“Barriss!”

The girl quickly spun and could make out the form of Ahsoka running towards her. Oh,  _ no.  _ She did halt, however, as the girl came barreling towards her, brown, white, and blue dreadlocks streaming behind her.

She struggled to come to a stop and Barriss had to grip the girl by her forearms to keep her from knocking them both over with her momentum. Ahsoka was wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt, which left much of her arm exposed to the cold breeze. Barriss felt goosebumps breaking out beneath her fingers.

“You must be freezing,” she said, and instantly dropped her bag to the ground. She shed her jacket and draped it over Ahsoka, her hands coming to rest on the shorter girl’s shoulders.

Ahsoka softly said, “Thank you,” and looked up at Barriss through her eyelashes.

Barriss momentarily got sucked in by her bright eyes, before immediately letting her hands fall back to her sides. She was suddenly way too close to Ahsoka, and she took a step back before picking up her bag. Her stomach twisted violently, and she didn’t know if that was a good feeling or not.

“What are you doing out here all alone?” Ahsoka asked, tugging the jacket tighter around her. 

“I, uh, I had to get out of the room,” Barriss explained. “I was sort of lonely.”

“Oh,” Ahsoka breathed out, looking guilty. “I’m really sorry, Barriss. I haven’t been a good roommate to you.”

“I haven’t been a good roommate either,” she admitted, crossing her arms to ward off the cold. She was wearing a long-sleeved sweater, but it did little to ward off the chill. 

“I’ve been so much worse,” Ahsoka said, toeing at the ground with her boot. She looked back up to meet Barriss’ eyes, and the other girl felt like she’d been punched in the gut. She would never get used to Ahsoka looking at her, eyes shining, like she was the only other person in the world. “Do you want to start over?”

“I’d like that a lot,” Barriss nodded, smiling.

“How about we get out of the cold and go get a coffee? I know a place close by.”

Barriss graciously accepted the offer and Ahsoka linked arms with her, leading her away.

////

“Holy shit!”

“What is it?” Obi-Wan asked, fixing Anakin with a confused look.

“Don’t turn around, but it’s Ahsoka with her roommate,” Anakin said, craning his neck to get a better look.

“So what? Roommates can go out for coffee.”

“Yeah, I know that. But they’re basically holding hands,” he explained. “We gotta get out of here before they see us.”

“You’re acting like Padmé,” Obi-Wan chided. “Besides, you haven’t even finished your coffee.”

Anakin seemed to take that as a challenge. “Not yet I haven’t.” He picked up his cup and chugged the rest down. Obi-Wan watched him with one brow raised.

“Most impressive.”

“Now come on, let’s get out of here.” Anakin took Obi-Wan’s hand in his and led him out of the café, throwing out their coffee cups on the way.

Skin tingling with warmth, Obi-Wan couldn’t complain.

////

“Are you sure?” Padmé asked, rubbing her hands together excitedly.

“Obi-Wan, I can’t believe you,” Riyo chided. “Why are you encouraging this? You’re as big a yenta as her.”

“It wasn’t me. I’m happy to mind my own business. This was all Anakin,” Obi-Wan explained.

“Anakin, it was you?” Padmé asked, and the dark-haired boy nodded. “Oh, I knew we had some sort of connection! Tell me everything!”

Anakin looked taken aback and turned to Obi-Wan for help.

“Don’t look at me. You brought this on yourself.”

He sighed. “There really isn’t much to tell. They just came in. I spied for a few seconds. It looked like they were holding hands. Then we got out of there.”

“It’s sort of funny how you and Ahsoka were spying on them earlier, and now they’re spying on other people,” Riyo said from where she was lying on Padmé’s bed, while her friend made a slashing motion across her throat.

“What?” Obi-Wan asked. “You were  _ spying  _ on us?”

“Oh, Snips is in for it,” Anakin exclaimed.

“Padmé has a real knack for reading lips,” Riyo added, throwing a wink to her brunette friend.

Padmé was fuming. “You’re only making it worse!”

“Hey, that’s the price of yenta-ing.”

“I really don’t know how to feel about this,” Obi-Wan said. “Suddenly I miss when you were drowning in homework instead of meddling in other people’s business.”

“Fine, I’m nosy. I’m sorry for spying on you,” Padmé relented, and Anakin and Obi-Wan accepted her apology with a nod. She then turned to the dark-haired boy. “You, Anakin, have a lot of potential. You’re a yenta in the making.”

Riyo rolled her eyes while Obi-Wan chuckled.

“This has gotten very strange.”

////

“Snips, we’re even.”

Ahsoka looked up from her seat in the commons room. She was curled up in an armchair while girls nearby played board games. “What are you talking about?”

“Riyo told me about how you and Padmé spied on me and Obi-Wan.”

The girl glanced down, having the good graces to look embarrassed. “Yeah… sorry about that. But, uh, how are we even?”

“Obi-Wan and I saw you with Barriss. I didn’t go so far as to try and read your lips, but we still spied a little bit,” he admitted.

“Oh,” Ahsoka said, eyes wide and a faint blush creeping into her cheeks.

“You like her, right?” Anakin asked, a smile spreading across his face.

“I swear to God, skyguy, you’re such a gossip!” she cried, the blush deepening. “But yeah, I kind of do, and I don’t know what to do about it. I don’t really even know her yet.” She looked up to her friend helplessly. “What do I do?”

“You’re coming to me for advice? That’s really not my thing, considering my life is on the verge of falling apart 24/7,” Anakin replied.

She raised an eyebrow. “Skyguy, you must’ve had one hell of an emo phase.”

He narrowed his eyes. “If you want help, you should probably go to Padmé or Obi-Wan. They seem to have it all together.”

Ahsoka nodded her thanks.

After a moment of thought, Anakin added, “And if you must know, I did.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So, I hear Anakin had a pretty bad emo phase."

“Oh, hey, Ahsoka,” Padmé said, looking up at the girl leaning against her doorframe. “You need anything?”

“I need advice,” Ahsoka answered, shutting the door behind her and leaning against it. “And you’re older and wiser and equally as gay, so I came to you.”

“So it’s that sort of advice…” Padmé beckoned Ahsoka closer. “You can sit up on the bed. Tell me what’s bothering you.”

Ahsoka sized up the bed. It was just as tall as the one in her room. With a running start, she launched herself up, gaining herself a seat and surprised laughter from Padmé.

“If you’re done with your acrobatics,” the brunette said between giggles, “I’m ready to hear the problem.”

“Okay,” Ahsoka started, hands gripping Padmé’s sheets as she got comfortable. “I’m sure Anakin’s already told you about what he and Obi-Wan saw?” The brunette nodded, and she continued, “Well, I think I actually like Barriss. She’s kinda shy though, and I don’t know how to get to know her.”

“Ahsoka, you’ve come to the right place,” Padmé smiled. “I have some perfect ideas about how to bond with Barriss.”

“Really?” the other girl asked, immediately brightening up. “What are they?”

////

Padmé had gleefully explained her favorite crafts to Ahsoka, but she had severely overestimated the skill of the girl and her roommate. Ahsoka and Barriss sat on the floor in their room, scissors in their hands as they cut shapes into colorful construction paper.

“What are we supposed to be doing again?” Barriss asked.

“We’re supposed to be making snowflakes,” Ahsoka answered. “But Padmé is some crafting genius, and what she considers easy is impossible for the average person.”

Barriss giggled softly at her roommate’s frustration, and Ahsoka thought it was one of the cutest sounds she’d ever heard. She tossed her scissors and paper aside and laid down on her back, staring up at the ceiling. 

“At least we’re annoyed together,” Barriss pointed out, becoming mesmerized by the rise and fall of Ahsoka’s chest and stomach. “That counts as bonding, right?”

Ahsoka huffed out a laugh. “I guess so. I feel like this whole thing has been a bust.”

“It’s not a bust,” Barriss assured. “I’ve had fun. If you want to decorate the room, we can just go out and buy things. That’d probably look better than anything we could make.”

“Agreed.”

“If you want, I can help you organize your side of the room a bit,” she offered. “I think I said I would when we first moved in. I’ve learned a few tricks from my mom.”

Ahsoka laughed as she remembered Luminara. “Oh yeah, your mom was crazy.” She would probably never forget the image of Luminara beating her bed into organized submission. “I still haven’t ironed my sheets.”

Barriss grinned and got to her feet. “We can start with folding your clothes more efficiently.”

“Just folding them at all would be a great improvement,” Ahsoka said, sitting up. “We can start with the top drawer.”

Ahsoka came to stand by her roommate as Barriss opened the top drawer. She was met with the sight of Ahsoka’s socks, underwear, and bras, and she felt her cheeks redden as she cast the girl a furtive glance.

This was just Barriss’ luck.

////

“So, I hear Anakin had a pretty bad emo phase,” Padmé said as she sat down across from Obi-Wan in the commons room.

He looked up at her. “Interesting choice of ice breaker,” he noted, setting his book aside. “How do you know? There’s no way Anakin told you.”

“Ahsoka told me,” Padmé answered. “And I want to know if you have pictures.”

He rolled his eyes fondly. “I’ll probably regret this, but sure.” He pulled out his phone and tapped in the code.

“Wait? They’re saved on your phone?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Haven’t I spent the last month spewing romantic nonsense over this kid? Of course I have a few incriminating photos on my phone.” Obi-Wan scrolled through his photo album. “Here’s one.”

Padmé took the phone of her friend, but nothing could prepare her for what she saw. In the picture, looking up at her, was the face of middle schooler Anakin Skywalker. He definitely showcased the emo look, with his eyes ringed in heavy black eyeliner. He wore a black band tee, skinny jeans with all sorts of chains hanging off them, and combat boots. He looked like a walking advertisement for Hot Topic.

He played the part perfectly, except for the big smile on his face as he looked into the camera. Padmé was holding back laughter until she looked closer. “What’s that in his hair?” she asked, zooming in on the picture. “What the hell? Are those safety pins?”

Obi-Wan burst into laughter across from her. “Yeah, they are. He wore those in his hair in seventh and eighth grade. Supposed to be symbolic somehow, I guess. His hair isn’t that curly though, so he was dropping safety pins everywhere he went for two years.” He shooked his head as he remembered. “I picked a few up- littering laws and all that- I probably still have them.”

“Awww, you love your emo boy,” Padmé cooed from across the table and Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes at her. There was no heart in it, though, for she was right. “I can’t believe you had a thing for  _ this _ ,” she continued, zooming out to take in the whole look once more. “This is an absolute trainwreck.”

“You have no idea how good this boy looks in black,” Obi-Wan said, looking at her with a serious look in his eyes. “He looks  _ damn good.”  _ He took his phone back and scrolled to a new picture. “Middle school was pretty funny, but he pulled it together in high school. He dropped the safety pins and those stupid chains on his pants. He took it easy on the eyeliner. A more…  _ refined  _ emo.”

He passed the phone back to Padmé and she nodded. “Okay, this isn’t as bad. I respect the aesthetic he’s going for.”

“He looks good in black. His ass looks really good in jeans like that,” Obi-Wan mused as she raised a brow at him. “Sorry. I could go on, but for your sake I won’t.”

“Thank you,” Padmé said. “This is a good look and all, but I like the first one.” She flipped back to the first picture and came to stare at Anakin’s raccoon eyes. “It’s just too funny!”

Obi-Wan crowded closer to her, and they laughed together. The chains, the Marilyn Manson t-shirt, the safety pins- it was all too ridiculous.

“Hey, what are you guys looking at?” Anakin asked as he approached his friends. He peered over Padmé’s shoulders. Suddenly their laughter made sense. “Well, fuck you guys!”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Leave me alone! Who isn’t a little bit emo? Name one person!”

When Anakin took his seat in Yularen’s 8:00 AM physics class, Ahsoka burst into laughter. He looked over at her curiously. “What’s gotten into you?” he asked.

She said nothing, but held up a single safety pin. 

He couldn’t believe she had actually gone to the trouble of getting a safety pin, and he knew exactly what she meant. “I’m gonna kill Obi-Wan! I can’t believe he showed you!” He raged, and she dissolved into giggles, dropping the pin down on her desk. “You know Ahsoka, sometimes you’re a great friend and I love you a lot, but sometimes I just wanna drop kick you out of my life,” Anakin fumed.

“Wow, skyguy. are those Fall Out Boy lyrics?” Ahsoka asked, grinning. A teasing glimmer flashed in her eyes.

“Ahsoka, cut it out with the emo jokes! Just forget what you saw. Besides, Fall Out Boy isn’t even that emo. They have something for everyone!”

Rex snorted from where he sat in the row in front of them. “Dude, do you even hear yourself?” he asked, turning in his seat. “This is  _ bad.  _ You’re only proving her point. _ ” _

“Aw, there’s still the little emo boy inside, just struggling to get out,” Ahsoka taunted. There was no malice behind it, but it was enough to get Anakin worked up.

“Leave me alone! Who isn’t a little bit emo? Name one person!”

He hadn’t noticed that the class had fallen silent as Professor Yularen moved to the front of the room. As Rex and Ahsoka shook with suppressed laughter, Anakin clammed up, sinking down into his chair.

////

“You showed Ahsoka the pictures, too?” Anakin demanded.

Obi-Wan looked up from his book as his friend huffed and dropped his bag. “Hello to you, too.”

“I screamed ‘name one person who isn’t a little bit emo’ to my entire class,” he deadpanned.

The redhead had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. “I don’t see how I’m responsible for that.”

As Anakin dropped into the seat across from him, he visibly relaxed. “Okay, so that one wasn’t your fault,” he allowed. “Still, Ahsoka’s never gonna let me live it down. She knows  _ everything. _ ”

“It’s nothing to be too embarrassed about. You were a cute emo,” Obi-Wan said. “I mean, the safety pins were a bit much…”

“Yeah, those were seriously a misstep,” Anakin agreed. He laughed as he remembered, inwardly cringing. How did he think that was ever cool? Obi-Wan smiled, glad that his friend was feeling better. “I guess I’ll have to let you live, Obi-Wan.”

“You were planning on killing me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Anakin nodded. “I never could’ve gone through with it. I like you too much.”

Even the stupidest things that Anakin said managed to quicken Obi-Wan’s heartbeat. His friend sat across from him, tension having left his shoulders. He paused when he saw that Anakin was grinning at him. Suddenly breathing was hard.

He smiled back before averting his eyes.

////

Ahsoka had taken a page from Obi-Wan and Anakin’s book and now went for weekly coffee with Barriss. The two had grown close since they had encountered each other on a chilly October evening. She sat at a table in the corner, warming her hands on her cup and looked up as her roommate came in, backpack slung over her shoulder and jacket zipped tight against the cold.

She watched as Barriss stood in line to get her coffee. She couldn’t deny that she liked Barriss. Liked her a lot. She wondered what Barriss thought of her. Maybe she felt similarly.

Ahsoka told herself that she probably didn’t. The two couldn’t have been more different, and she felt that if she hadn’t tried to force a connection between them, they would barely talk. Barriss was so composed, reserved, and in-check. Ahsoka was loud, brash, and outspoken. Her roommate probably got annoyed with her constant chatter but was too nice to say anything. Barriss controlled her emotions while she was ruled by hers.

“Hey, Ahsoka.”

She was pulled out of her thoughts by Barriss, sitting down across from her, a cup in her hand. She placed a paper bag on the table. “I got us a muffin to split.”

Ahsoka smiled at her roommate. “Thanks,” she said, and looked in the bag. “Blueberry! I love blueberry.”

Barriss grinned back, looking relieved. “Oh, I’m glad. I wasn’t sure what you liked.”

And then in that moment as their eyes locked, Ahsoka thought that maybe she did have a chance. Warmth radiated from Barriss’ eyes and caught the other girl off guard.

In that moment, Ahsoka knew she cared about Barriss. She really, really cared.

////

Anakin looked up as he heard a knock on his door. He and Rex were sitting on the floor, playing cards. The only game he knew was war, so they played that, and Rex was severely beating him. “I’ll get it.”

Rex smiled as his roommate got up, scooting back so he was leaning against his dresser. “Good thing you don’t have money riding on this game, Skywalker.”

He waved him off and opened the door, revealing Ahsoka, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. “Snips? What’s up?” It was rare that she would visit him. She claimed she had no interest in setting foot in a smelly boy’s dorm.

“I’m in deep shit,” she said as she pushed past him into the room.

“Oh,  _ of course,  _ you can come in,” he huffed sarcastically, shutting the door once more.

“Hey, Ahsoka.”

“Hi, Rex.”

She sat down at Anakin’s desk chair, leaving her dark-haired friend to resume his place on the floor. “So what’s the problem?”

“It’s Barriss.” Anakin gave her a look that asked ‘ _ again?’  _ “I think I really like her.”

“Um, I’m not sure I should be hearing your drama,” Rex said awkwardly.

“No, Rexster. You’re already here. You have to stay,” Ahsoka protested.

The Fett boy paused, eyebrows knitting together. “Rexster?” He shook his head. “I already hear enough gossip and drama from Skywalker. I can’t handle much more.”

“Gossip? Drama?” Anakin repeated, looking offended. “I’m, like, the least dramatic person here!”

“That’s a lie,” Rex stated. “You’re literally yelling and waving your arms around right now. You’re dramatic.”

“Yeah, skyguy, total drama queen,” Ahsoka chimed in.

Anakin lowered his arms- his friends did have a point. “Well, how about you, Snips? You’ve come to me like ten times in the past two weeks whining about how much you think Barriss hates you.”

Ahsoka’s jaw dropped. “Hey, that is not true!”

“You’re both dramatic!” Rex cut in. “Now, Ahsoka, just tell us what the problem is.”

She looked taken aback by his outburst, but soon launched into her story. As Anakin watched Rex, he noticed that his friend actually looked pretty into the story.

Maybe there was some drama queen in him, as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Rex in this chapter because I love him a lot and he hasn't really had a big role yet.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Halloween is a holiday for romance.”

“It’s Halloween!”

Obi-Wan looked up as Padmé burst into his and Cody’s room. He was relaxing on his bed, fiddling with his laptop. “And?” he asked, surprised by her excitement. Padmé normally didn’t get worked up over things like this.

“Don’t you know what Halloween is? This could make or break your relationship with Anakin.”

Obi-Wan looked confused at this, and it even caused Cody to glance up from his homework and turn his attention to his two friends.

“Is it possible you’re confusing it with Valentine’s Day? Or literally any other holiday?”

She rolled her eyes and sat down at his desk chair. “I’m  _ not  _ confused. Halloween is a big deal. There are costumes, Halloween parties, haunted houses,” she explained. “Does Anakin scare easily?”

“You’re not going to scare my best friend into falling in love with me,” Obi-Wan told her flatly. He never thought he’d have to utter that sentence.

“You know, I think she might be right,” Cody said, spinning around in his seat.

“Oh, no. Not you, too.” The redhead knew he was doomed.

“No, no, hear me out. I mean, scaring him into holding your hand is all well and good, but the parties are where it’s at. You know how crazy people get at Halloween. It’ll make that party we went to in August look like child’s play.”

“And don’t forget costumes!” Padmé gleefully explained, glad that someone was supporting her in her meddling. “You could do a couples costume!”

Obi-Wan shut his laptop and put it aside. It was clear that Padmé and Cody would not let up. “And who would we go as?”

“Ooh! I got an idea!” Padmé and Obi-Wan looked to the Fett boy expectantly. “You could be those gay guys from the cowboy movie.”

“Nice one, Cody. Very subtle.” Obi-Wan shook his head, exasperated. 

“I agree. That is a bit much.”

Cody shrugged. “Yeah, I guess I didn’t think that one through.”

“How about, instead of us running your life for you, you just go talk to Anakin and come up with an idea together?” Padmé offered.

That was a new one. Obi-Wan furrowed his eyebrows. “Are you actually giving up control over my love life? You’re telling me to make my own decisions?”

She nodded, looking like it pained her. “Now go before I change my mind.”

Obi-Wan scrambled down from his bed and hurried out of the room.

“Riyo would be proud,” Cody mused behind her.

The brunette flushed red.

////

“So… Halloween’s coming up,” Obi-Wan said, standing in Anakin’s doorway.

Anakin was sitting on the floor, papers spread all around him as he scribbled down equations in a notebook. He looked up to his friend. “And?”

Rex sat at his desk chair, back to both of them, listening to their conversation unfold with great interest.

“Do you still dress up?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Haven’t for awhile,” the dark-haired boy responded, distracted by homework.

“Really? I thought all you emos liked to dress up.”

This drew a snort from Rex and Anakin looked up from his homework to his redheaded friend. “If you’re trying to get me to do something, emo jokes aren’t the way to do it.” He set his notebook aside. “Why were you asking about dressing up?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to do something for Halloween. Like a group costume,” Obi-Wan said, and Rex grew curious at this.

“Who else is in this group?”

“Oh, no one. Just you and me,” the redhead answered, wringing his hands nervously behind his back. “So… would you be interested?”

Anakin nodded. “Yeah. Do you have anything in mind?”

At this, Rex stood from his seat. “I gotta go. I’m meeting Ahsoka for lunch.” It wasn’t entirely true, but he knew where he could find her.

Obi-Wan and Anakin looked surprise as he popped up, but went back to their conversation after he left the room.

////

“Couples costumes? He actually said that?” Ahsoka asked, sitting cross-legged on the floor of the library.

“Well, no. Not exactly,” Rex answered. “But it’s a group costume… with only  _ two  _ people.”

“This has Padmé written all over it,” the girl mused, sweeping her dreadlocks back over her shoulder. “I gotta say though, it might work. Halloween is a holiday for romance.”

“Romance? Halloween? Are you kidding me?” Rex asked.

“Hand holding. Costumes. Candy. You can’t get much more romantic,” she said. “Padmé’s really onto something with this idea. I should try the same thing with Barriss.”

“You guys are too much,” Rex said, rolling his eyes. Just his luck his roommate and friend had to be the biggest drama queens on campus.

“Come on, Rex,” Ahsoka drawled. “You know you live for the drama. You’re almost as bad as me and Anakin.”

“I am not!” he protested, momentarily forgetting they were in a library.

Ahsoka lived to get under people’s skin. She continued, “Won’t be long before you’re yenta-ing like Padmé.”

“That will  _ not  _ happen!” he insisted, and that was the last straw for the librarian. “Oops,” he mumbled, looking guilty.

////

“Way to get us kicked out of the library,” Ahsoka mumbled, her fingers gripping the straps of her backpack as they walked across the quad.

“Way to get me upset enough to start yelling,” he countered. “It takes a lot of skill to pull that off.” It was rare for Rex to ever raise his voice. The only people he ever yelled at were his brothers, and even that took a lot of pushing.

“I’ve always had a knack for that sort of thing,” she remarked. “But seriously, you live for gossip.”

“I know! It’s all your and Skywalker’s fault. That doesn’t mean I want you to remind me all the time,” he answered. “It’s not like I go around reminding me how gone you are over this Barriss girl.”

“You don’t have to,” Ahsoka said. “Anakin already does that enough.”

The two walked briskly. It was ungodly cold for late October and night fell faster than ever. It was only six but the sky was rapidly growing dark.

“Where do we go now?” Rex asked. “Library is out of the question. And Skywalker and Kenobi are still in my room. Barriss is probably in your room, and I can’t deal with all those heart-eyes in such a short period of time. I’ll be sick.”

She punched him in the shoulder. “I’m not  _ that  _ bad. I don’t give her heart-eyes.”

“Yeah, you do. And she gives ‘em to you, too.”

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Rex. Let’s get inside.”

She quickened her pace and Rex laughed, hurrying after her.

////

“Wait… you’ve given up meddling?” Riyo Chuchi raised her eyebrow, looking suspiciously at Padmé. “This has to be some joke, right?”

“I haven’t given up for good,” the brunette answered. “But yes, I have decided to leave Obi-Wan and Anakin alone for a little while.”

“So it’s true,” Riyo mused. “When Cody texted me, I didn’t believe it.” She paused before adding, “I’m proud of you, Padmé.”

There was that blush again, heating up the brunette’s cheeks. She hoped her lavender-haired friend didn’t notice.

“Don’t get used to that feeling,” Padmé advised. “Soon enough, I’ll be back at it.”

Riyo smiled at her friend. Her friend who did so much and worked so hard and cared so much about her friends.

“I don’t think I’ll ever stop being proud of you.”

The blush came back and this time Riyo saw it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can't believe this has over 1000 hits (and 69 kudos ayyy ;)). thank you all so much for reading it means a lot!!!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang goes to a Halloween party and things get a bit intense.

“Barriss, you look great!” Ahsoka squealed, clapping her hands together as she spotted her roommate, who sat at her desk, buckling up her black Mary Janes.

Barriss had never really done much for Halloween before, but Ahsoka had succeeded in convincing her to dress up. It really didn’t take much convincing though, not when Ahsoka looked at her with bright eyes and pouted a little bit.

She straightened up in her seat. “Thanks, Ahsoka.” She was dressed as Velma Dinkley, and she wore tall orange socks, an orange turtleneck, and a red pleated skirt. She even wore a red hijab to match.

Ahsoka, in turn, was dressed as Daphne Blake in a purple dress with a green scarf. The lavender tights were irritating, so she ditched them and finished off the outfit with grey converse sneakers. It wasn’t the most conventional approach, but Barriss still smiled as she took it in.

“We make quite the pair,” Ahsoka said, offering her hand out to her friend. Barriss took it and stood. They lingered there, facing each other, hands clasped. Ahsoka searched her roommate’s face, head tilted up. Uncertainty flashed in Barriss’ eyes, and the other girl quickly looked away. “Let’s go. We have to meet the others soon.”

She withdrew her hand and stepped to the door as disappointment bloomed in Barriss’ heart.

////

“Wait, the party’s at  _ fucking Tatooine?”  _ Anakin cried.

“Yeah,” Obi-Wan said, as he pulled a red hockey jersey over his white t-shirt. “Why?”

“It’s just the shittiest dorm in the entire school,” he seethed. “The AC doesn’t work in the summer and the heat kicks into overdrive during the winter. And  _ you’ve  _ got me dressed in a sweater vest and a leather jacket. You  _ know  _ I hate the heat. Plus, those dumbasses fill the commons room up with  _ fucking sand.  _ Another thing I hate.”

“Hey, at least I let you be Ferris,” Obi-Wan pointed out. “Ferris is cool. Why do you even have such strong feelings about this dorm?” He was very used to Anakin’s angry outbursts, but this one seemed unfounded.

“That’s the dorm they stuck me in when I first got accepted,” Anakin explained. “I asked for a transfer. I  _ hate  _ that place.” He bristled as he thought about it. “And yeah, Ferris is cool, but he’s kind of an asshole.”

“You’re perfect for the part,” Obi-Wan teased, and Anakin rolled his eyes. “Cameron’s the one who follows around completely done with Ferris’ shit. I think that describes our dynamic pretty well.”

“Just don’t expect me to do any singing,” he said. “And I’m  _ not  _ staying the whole time.”

“I’m not asking you to stay the whole time. I just think it’ll be fun.”

Anakin shrugged. “Maybe.” He looked over to Obi-Wan. “That red jersey looks nice with your hair.”

Obi-Wan laughed. “I’m aware it’s not the greatest combination.” His phone lit up with a text from Padmé. “We better get going.”

////

Padmé, Riyo, Rex, and Cody stood shivering outside the dorm when their friends showed up. Padmé was dressed as Princess Daisy in an orange dress and Riyo was Princess Peach in pink. Rex and Cody dressed as each other in an attempt at humor. Most people, however, didn’t get that they were wearing costumes.

“Finally you guys are here!” Padmé cried, rubbings her hands up and down her arms to warm herself.

Ahsoka, Barriss, Anakin, and Obi-Wan joined the group, mumbling apologies. 

“Who’s excited?” Riyo chirped excitedly. She loved parties and she loved Halloween. “I hear there’s a haunted house in the basement!”

“Ooh, washing machines. How frightening,” Anakin grumbled.

Ahsoka looked up at him curiously. “Skyguy, what’s gotten into you?”

“Don’t pay him any mind,” Obi-Wan cut in. “He hates Tatooine and is very grumpy about it.”

Anakin cast them both a glare before shaking his head. “Let’s get this over with.”

With excitement hovering over the group, save for Anakin, they approached the dorm hall. Inside the heat was stifling. Barriss immediately grew uncomfortable in her long-sleeved turtleneck. She tugged at the collar as Ahsoka grabbed her hand so they didn’t get separated in the sudden onslaught of people.

The party was packed. A few people Barriss could recognize from classes, but most she didn’t.  _ How big could this school be?  _ Up ahead, Riyo was already pouring drinks for herself and Padmé.

“Tonight, you’re just going to focus on yourself,” she instructed. “No running off after Obi-Wan. He’s got this under control.”

Padmé frowned, but nodded as she took the cup from her friend. “Fine. No meddling tonight. I’ll just have to trust Halloween to work its magic.”

“It always does,” Riyo winked, drawing her drink to her lips.

The brunette looked away, but took a sip as well.

////

Ahsoka approached and watched as Anakin filled his cup to the brim. “Don’t you think you’re going a bit overboard?”

He shook his head. “No. I need this if I’m going to survive this stupid party in stupid Tatooine.” He looked over to her. “Nice costume, snips. You and Barriss look good.”

“Thanks. It had just enough gay subtext to suit my needs,” she grinned, grabbing the bottle from him and filling her own cup. “How about you and Obi-Wan? Ferris has Sloane.”

He looked at her, confused, and then quickly shook his head. “No, no. You got the wrong idea. I don’t like Obi-Wan.” She fixed him with an unconvinced look. “Well, I like him. Of course, I like him. But not like that.”

She rolled her eyes as she poured a second cup for Barriss. “Whatever, skyguy. Enjoy the party.”

With that, she grabbed the cups and hurried off, while Anakin slammed his head against the bar.

////

“You wanna get out of here?” Anakin asked, his drink having been left forgotten. He simply couldn’t handle Tatooine any longer.

Obi-Wan looked up from where he was sitting and desperately trying to fan his face. “Yes, please.” He hopped to his feet. The dorm building was ridiculously hot and he was glad for an excuse to get out. His hockey jersey didn’t allow for any ventilation and it stuck uncomfortably to his frame.

“We can sit out front. I can’t go too far in case Ahsoka needs me.”

“Why would she need you?” Obi-Wan asked as the two walked down the crowded hallway to the front door.

“You remember how she was after the last party,” Anakin said.

“I also remember how you were after the last party,” Obi-Wan teased, knowingly.

“Fuck off,” he laughed as he pushed the front door open. A rush of cold night air washed over them and the two stood on the front steps, sucking in deep breaths as the door fell shut behind them. The chill in the air felt good, as they dripped with sweat from the overheated dorm.

“It’s nice out here,” Obi-Wan said. Behind them, the party continued on. They heard blasting music and a loud, overlapping chorus of voices. Outside, however, it was deserted and strangely quiet. The yard was enclosed by a stone wall. “Let’s sit over there.”

Anakin nodded and the two crossed the yard to sit on the low wall, their legs resting against each other. They faced away from the party towards the eerily shadowed, empty campus. They could see the quad in the distance and beyond that the café that they frequented, the ‘closed’ sign glowing red in the dark window. Obi-Wan let out a puff of air and he could see his breath in front of him. Anakin laughed.

“Damn, it’s cold,” Obi-Wan remarked. For now though, with his clothes clinging to him, it felt good.

“I think I have  _ fucking sand  _ in my shoes,” Anakin grumbled, kicking off his shoes. They landed on the brick sidewalk below. His voice came out moody, but he was already cheering up. The cool air combined with Obi-Wan’s gentle presence was enough to relax him.

Neither of them had had much to drink, making conversation slow. The last time they were in a situation like this, Anakin had been drunk, so he did most of the talking and Obi-Wan simply responded. Now, the redhead didn’t know what to say.

He glanced over to Anakin out of the corner of his eye. As Anakin looked back, he realized they didn’t need words. The nervous energy radiating off of each of them said enough. Anakin’s eyes told him that he knew Obi-Wan’s not-so-secret secret, and maybe he felt the same way.

////

Giddy and with her eyes glazed, Ahsoka tugged on her roommate’s hand. “Wanna check out the haunted house?”

Barriss, who had indulged in one cup, was even less resistant to Ahsoka’s whims than usual. “Sure,” she answered. Ahsoka grinned and dragged her down the steps to the basement.

Down there, it was even hotter, since it was so close to the boiler room. It was unbelievably dark, but if she squinted Barriss could see creepy red lights and fake spider webs hung from the ceilings. As far as haunted houses go, it was pretty lame, but Barriss couldn’t focus on that, as Ahsoka was squeezing her hand as she led her forward.

Her drunk friend stumbled a few times and her grip on Barriss’ hand tightened. 

Suddenly the two stopped. They stood there, and she took note of the silence of the basement. The party upstairs seemed distant. All that she could focus on was the warm hand in hers and the steady sound of Ahsoka’s breathing.

Then Ahsoka’s hand was gone, but Barriss was only able to puzzle over it for a second before her friend was pushing against her. She hit something- she guessed it was a washing machine- and came to an abrupt stop. Ahsoka’s hands were braced against the washing machine on either side of Barriss and she leaned in close.

Barriss could smell the alcohol on her friend’s breath and saw light reflecting in her eyes. Ahsoka was so close and suddenly Barriss couldn’t breathe. Her friend was leaning in, raised up on her tiptoes. The space between them was rapidly shrinking. The heat clouded around Barriss, making her almost dizzy. All she could focus on was the glimmers in Ahsoka’s eyes. She tried to calm herself, but then her friend mumbled her name and she momentarily lost it. She knew it didn’t mean a thing. She knew Ahsoka was drunk and had no idea what she was doing.

And yes, Ahsoka was drunk, but she knew exactly what she wanted to do. Until Barriss spoke.

“Ahsoka?” the girl whispered, a bit frightened, unsure. Her voice wavered, sounding like a quiet plea.

That caused Ahsoka to snap to her senses. She blinked once, twice. What was she doing? She dropped her hands to her sides and stepped away. She could barely see Barriss, but she could tell that her friend was scared.

“I-” she started, but she realized she had nothing to say. “Sorry.”

She turned and ran, flying up the stairs. She tripped once and landed hard on her hands and knees, but she got up and kept going. She pushed past the people in the hallways, her head down. She felt the tears, hot against her already sweaty cheeks. She couldn’t believe she had sunk so low. Everything had been under control. She was fine crushing on Barriss without the other girl knowing, but she just had to get drunk and fuck it up. There really was no playing this one off.

Ahsoka finally reached the front door and stepped out into the night air. She had every intention of running back to her room and crying herself to sleep, but then she heard a familiar voice.

“Ahsoka?”

She spun around to see Anakin and Obi-Wan, sitting on the stone wall and looking at her curiously. As soon as he saw her tears and quaking shoulders, Anakin shot to his feet, running over to her and enveloping her in a hug. Ahsoka hated for people to see her cry, but now she didn’t have the heart to resist. She just let Anakin hold her tight.

As she cried into his chest, he guided her over to the wall and sat her down between him and Obi-Wan. Her sobs were muffled as he held her close, and Obi-Wan rubbed her back soothingly. When she pulled back to suck in a breath, Anakin asked, “What happened?”

It took her a few moments to catch her breath, but Ahsoka finally said, “It’s Barriss. I fucked up really bad.” Then, she was sent into another round of breathless sobs as Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged a look over her head. “I almost kissed her,” she added, wiping at her eyes. “In the basement. It was stupid. She wasn’t into it. She hates me now.”

“Oh, Ahsoka,” Anakin murmured, pulling her tight once more. Obi-Wan once again took to rubbing small, comforting circles into the girl’s back. It hurt Anakin to see his friend distressed like this. It scared him enough to see her so quiet and thoughtful on that day they spent on the quad, staring up at the clouds. This was a whole other experience. 

Obi-Wan didn’t know what to make of it. All of the times he had seen Ahsoka, she was bold and outspoken. In her sadness, she was the same way. She didn’t keep it to herself or sugarcoat her feelings, but in her pain she took on a sinister sort of self-loathing.

Ahsoka pulled away from Anakin, her hand going to fist in the wet spot on his sweater vest. She looked at him in sorrow, and he figured it was an attempt at apologizing. She opened her mouth as if she was about to speak, but instead she lurched forward and clutched at her stomach as she threw up.

Right onto Anakin’s discarded, sand-filled shoes.

Obi-Wan wrinkled his nose and quickly moved his feet out of the way to avoid splatters.

“My shoes,” Anakin said, sounding upset, but then he immediately turned his attention back to Ahsoka. “Come on, Snips. I’ll get you out of here.” He looked to Obi-Wan. “I’m really sorry, but she needs someone.”

Obi-Wan nodded, giving a wave of his hand. “Hey, I totally get it. You’re a good friend, Anakin.”

The dark-haired boy smiled gratefully. “Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow. I had a good time.” 

“What about your shoes?”

He looked down at them in distaste. “Eh, just leave them.” Ahsoka sat sniffling between them, and Anakin put a hand on her arm to guide her. “Let’s go, Snips.”

She didn’t resist, and Obi-Wan watched as he led her away. After a while, Anakin scooped her up in his arms. The redhead kept an eye on them as long as he could, until they vanished from view. He sat out there a little longer, enjoying the cold quiet of the night. He thought back to Anakin. It would have been so easy to kiss his friend. Those blue eyes told him that he wanted it.

He was pulled from his thoughts as he heard the door open and shut and soft feet padding down the path. He turned and saw Barriss Unduli, looking small and nervous standing in the front yard. 

“Have you seen Ahsoka?” she asked, the worry clear on her face and in her voice.

He nodded. “Anakin took her to the dorms,” he said and saw relief wash over her. “I heard what happened… Do you want to talk about anything?”

Barriss tensed, scared, when he told her that he knew. But at the same time his offer was tempting. She had no one to talk to. She had no one that she could trust to tell her true feelings. She could confide in Obi-Wan. She could tell him that she  _ liked  _ Ahsoka and that she really wanted her to kiss her.

She bit her lip, deliberating.

No, she couldn’t.

She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk. I think I’ll just go home.”

Obi-Wan kept his eyes on her until she disappeared from view as well.

////

Anakin had Ahsoka back in his dorm, dressed comfortably in one of his t-shirts and a pair of sweatpants. The clothes were big on her, and they made her look all the more helpless.

“Here, drink something,” he urged, pressing a cup of water into her hands.

She took a sip and it took the vile taste out of her mouth. She set the cup down, wiping at her eyes. “Anakin, I’m really sorry. I never wanted to make any trouble for you.”

“Hey, Ahsoka, it’s fine,” he insisted, pulling back the covers on his bed for her. “You’ve had a rough night. I’m just doing what any good friend would do.” He scooped her up in his arms, laying her down on his bed.

She felt herself crying again. What did she ever do to deserve friends who loved her enough to take care of her when she was a drunk, sobbing mess? He tucked the blankets around her and turned, preparing himself for a night of sleeping on the floor.

“Anakin,” she mumbled and he turned immediately.

“Yeah, ‘soka?” he asked, and she let out a small sob. That was what her dad always called her. Anakin looked serious. He wanted more than anything to see her smile. 

“Could you hold me tonight?” she asked nervously, feeling like a little girl. 

He nodded. “If it’ll make you happy, I’ll do anything.” Anakin climbed up into the bed beside her, instantly pulling her tight. They both reeked of alcohol, but she instantly found comfort in his embrace.

“I’m really sorry,” she sobbed into his shoulder, but he shushed her, rubbing her back as Obi-Wan had done.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, ‘soka. I’ll always be here to take care of you.”

At the pet name, she cried harder, wondering again how she was so lucky to have such a good friend. She still felt like she didn’t belong. She didn’t deserve Anakin’s kindness. Tomorrow she’d have to face Barriss.

These things she knew, and they scared her, but in Anakin’s arms, she felt safe. Cocooned in warmth, she fell asleep.

And when Rex came in a little after 3:00 AM, Anakin simply held a finger to his lips, his friend sleeping soundly beside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops some drama!!
> 
> also this chapter was over 3000 words ???? how????
> 
> also i just broke 20,000 words in this story so that's cool
> 
> also i hope you enjoyed their costumes I thought they were really cute. if i could draw i would draw them. in case it wasn't clear, Ahsoka and Barriss were Daphne Blake and Velma Dinkley from Scooby Doo. Anakin and Obi-Wan were Ferris and Cameron from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Rex and Cody went as each other. Riyo and Padmé were Princess Peach and Princess Daisy from Mario.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I should’ve stuck to trick-or-treating."

“I should’ve stuck to trick-or-treating,” Ahsoka groaned as she opened her eyes. Immediately Anakin was pressing a cup of water and two aspirins into her hands.

“Take these,” he ordered. Ahsoka was too tired and in too much pain to argue. She sat up and took the pills as she was told. Usually when she was hungover, she lost most of her memories from the previous night, but now she was hyper-aware of what happened last night. She remembered every last detail. She remembered backing Barriss up against the washing machine. She remembered the thick cloud of heat between them when their lips almost touched. She remembered how she made a complete fool of herself.

“Anakin,” she started, her voice coming out raw and scratchy. “Thank you for last night. Thanks for being there for me.”

“Hey, it’s nothing,” he assured. She wanted to say it wasn’t nothing to her, but she didn’t want to sound like a total sap.

“I still appreciate it,” she mumbled to herself.

“If you want to stay here for awhile, that’s totally fine. I get if you need space from Barriss.” She flinched when she heard the name and he feared he had offended her.

“Thanks. I don’t think I’m ready to face her. Especially when I’m feeling like shit.” She flopped back onto her back.

Rex spoke up from where he was lying in bed on the other side of the room. “I don’t really know the full story here, but you can talk to me.” As Ahsoka smiled at him, he quickly added, “Obviously go to Skywalker first! But if he’s not around, you can come to me.”

“Thanks, Rex,” she said, smiling softly. Once again she was overwhelmed by the warmth that surrounded her. Back home, she never would have dreamed of having friends so caring.

“Do you need anything?” Anakin asked, and she tilted her head to look at him. He looked so worried about her, so attentive. She remembered faintly the night before when he told her that he would do anything to make her smile again.

She shook her head. “I think I’m fine for now. I just need to figure out what I’m going to do.” Ahsoka knew that her situation was hopeless. The false sense of security from the night before was gone, and she had to face the consequences of what she had done.

As Anakin and Rex shared worried glances, she hoped that Barriss would be forgiving.

////

“What the hell do you want, Kenobi?” Riyo snapped as she opened the door.

His arm dropped back to his side. He had come to see Padmé and wasn’t expecting to find the lavender-haired girl. “Uh, where’s Padmé?” he asked.

“She’s still sleeping,” she answered and Obi-Wan took a good look at her. She looked like hell- definitely hungover. Her hair was a mess and there were dark circles under her eyes. She was dressed in the same pink dress from the night before, and she rubbed her temple as she scowled at him. “What do you need?”

“I wanted to discuss the party with her,” he said. “I was wondering if I could take you two out for some breakfast. Or, maybe lunch would be more appropriate.” It was early afternoon.

Riyo shrugged. “I guess that doesn’t sound bad. You wait out here and I’ll wake her up.”

The door swung shut again and Obi-Wan leaned against the wall, waiting for his friends. Across the hall, a door opened, and Barriss slipped out. As she saw him, she froze.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, defensive. She was afraid that he came to talk. Maybe he knew the truth.

“I just came to invite Padmé and Riyo to lunch. Would you like to join us?”

For the second time in less than twelve hours, he saw her face twist in concentration as she thought it over. Finally, she nodded. “Thank you. That sounds nice.”

Then the door to Padmé’s room opened and the two girls stepped out. Padmé’s hair was thrown up into a bun messily and she wore jeans and a sweatshirt. Obi-Wan was taken aback by the sight. He had never seen her look anything but perfectly put together. Even when stress from school was eating away at her, her clothing was impeccable and not even a single hair was out of place.

“Wow.”

“Leave me alone, Obi-Wan,” she moaned, and he grinned. He did not fail to notice how the tables had turned since the last party they had attended, when he was hungover and she stayed completely sober the whole night. She had teased him relentlessly the next day.

“Is something bothering you? Are you feeling alright?” he asked, voice saccharine sweet. She glared at him. She knew better than to buy this act. “Maybe you’re a little… hungover?”

“Just shut up and buy us food,” Riyo said, taking Padmé’s hand and leading her away. Amused, Obi-Wan followed.

Barriss, surprised by the foul moods of her friends, gave each a curious look before shouldering her bag and following.

////

The four settled around a table in the cafeteria, Riyo and Padmé visibly suffering under the bright, fluorescent lights. Obi-Wan dug into his salad and Barriss had a cheese sandwich. The two hungover girls just sipped on coffee.

“So, how did things with Anakin go?” Padmé asked. Even though she was exhausted, in pain, and looked like death, she was always prepared to talk about Obi-Wan’s love life.

Obi-Wan shrugged. “It was okay.”

Padmé narrowed her eyes. “I’m not in the mood to fight for basic information. _Please_ spill it.”

“Okay, fine,” he said, rolling his eyes at her. “We cut out kind of early, since it was really gross in there. We sat on the wall out front.”

“Very romantic,” Padmé gushed, and Riyo shook her head fondly, slumped back in her chair.

“Anyways, we were out there talking. It was a bit awkward, since both of us were sober and I really didn’t know what to say to him. But then I looked over at him, and he looked at me, and in that moment I _swear_ he knew how I felt,” he explained, and Padmé leaned forward in her seat, eyes blown wide. “And it looked like he felt the same way. I think we were about to kiss, but then Ahsoka came out.”

Barriss, who had been rummaging through her bag, looked up. “Ahsoka?” The other three turned to her, and she felt uncomfortable under their gaze. “What about Ahsoka?” She almost didn’t trust herself to say the girl’s name aloud, considering what had happened last night and her own confusing feelings.

“She came outside when Anakin and I were… uh, talking,” Obi-Wan answered, unsure really how to explain what was going on with him and his friend. Even when he had spent much of the previous night thinking about it, he had come to no conclusions.

“Was she… okay?” Barriss asked. She had been shaken up enough by the incident and by her friend’s sudden flight. after Ahsoka took off, Barriss had stayed in the basement, sitting on the washing machine, wondering what she would have done if the two had kissed. She knew she would have liked it, and that scared her.

Obi-Wan shook his head, and Barriss’ heart sunk. “She was very upset about… what happened.” Padmé and Riyo exchanged confused glances.

“Oh, no,” Barriss breathed out as she took to rummaging through her bag again, looking for her keys. Conversation around the table resumed, and Barriss could not find her keys. _Oh no again._ She must have left them in the room.

As much as she didn’t want to see Ahsoka until the whole thing blew over, she had no choice now. “Guys, thanks for the company,” she said, abruptly getting to her feet. “But I have something to take care of.”

The three nodded and Barriss grabbed her bag, hurrying from the cafeteria.

////

Barriss didn’t have to look hard on the third floor of Coruscant before she found the RA’s door. It was decorated in posters and fun shapes cut out of construction paper. It reminded her of the night that she and Ahsoka tried crafting. She knocked.

The boy who answered had light blond hair and was dressed in a yellow t-shirt. “Yes?” he asked, voice prim and proper. “I do not believe we have met. I’m Threepio, the RA for this hall. How can I be of service?”

“Hello, Threepio. I’m Barriss,” she said, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. “I was wondering if you could show me where Anakin’s room is?”

“Yes, of course, Ms. Barriss,” he said as he grabbed his keys and shut the door behind him. “He’s just down the hall in room 308. I’ll take you there.”

“Thank you,” she said as she fell into step beside him. This floor was nearly identical to her own, but the familiar surroundings did little to soothe her. They reached the door, and Threepio looked to her expectantly. She hesitantly raised her hand to knock, her heart jumping to her throat as the impact of her fist reverberated through the door.

She stepped back and it didn’t take long for the door to open and she was face to face with Anakin. “Hi,” she said softly, nervously.

“Barriss?” He sounded surprised.

Behind him, from the bed, she heard someone squeak out, “Barriss?!” It was Ahsoka.

Threepio picked up on the tense air and said, “I’ll leave you to it. Nice meeting you, Ms. Barriss.”

“You too,” she said absentmindedly as he hurried away. She looked past Anakin into the room. She saw Ahsoka in the bed, watching her with wide eyes, and she could see Rex at his desk, trying to be subtle as his eyes traveled between the three. “Could I speak to Ahsoka?”

She looked back up to Anakin and could see that he was reluctant. He had seen how hurt Ahsoka was last night. He thought Barriss could only do more damage.

“Anakin, it’s okay. I want to talk to her,” Ahsoka said, and he visibly relaxed. His eyes softened.

“Come on, Rex. Let’s give them some privacy.”

The Fett boy got up and left the room, and Barriss stepped in. Anakin gave Ahsoka a look before he shut the door behind him, leaving the two girls alone. Ahsoka hopped down from the bed so they were face to face.

“I’m here mainly for two reasons,” Barriss began, looking down to avoid Ahsoka’s stare. “One- I’m locked out.” The other girl chuckled faintly. It was strange to see the normally organized girl so frazzled. Ahsoka had the humor kicked out of her when she realized it was probably a result of what happened last night. “Two- I think we should talk about the party.”

“I think so, too,” Ahsoka agreed. It was nice to feel so protected with Anakin around, but now was the time to face up to her mistakes. “I’m really so-”

“If you want to just forget about it,” Barriss cut in. “I’m fine with that. I know you were drunk and it didn’t mean anything. I don’t want to make anything weird between us.”

“Oh,” Ahsoka said, deflating, feeling like the air had been knocked out of her. “If, uh, if that’s what you want, that’s fine. I wouldn’t want to ruin our friendship.” She spun around, reaching into the pocket of her purple dress that had been discarded on Anakin’s desk chair the night before. “Here’s the key,” she said, turning and offering her hand to Barriss. “I’ll probably be back tonight.”

Barriss took the key. She knew she shouldn’t leave things like this with Ahsoka. She knew deep down that she should’ve been honest with Ahsoka about how she felt and handled rejection maturely. But she was too scared. “Thanks. I’ll see you later.”

“Bye.”

As the door fell shut behind Barriss, Ahsoka leaned against the bed feeling tears making hot tracks down her cheeks. A few moments later, Anakin came in, his face falling when he saw her state of distress. He crossed the room in just a few steps and pulled her into a hug. She melted against him.

“I know it’s stupid, but I still hoped she’d feel the same way,” she cried, her voice muffled. “But she didn’t think it meant anything at all.”

Anakin only held her tighter, and Rex, standing in the doorway, felt an ache in his heart for his friend. Entering the room and shutting the door, he moved over to the two, enveloping them both in his arms. Anakin looked over, surprised, and smiled. Ahsoka was alarmed as well, but she leaned against him so both Anakin and Rex were equally supporting her weight.

The three stood there together until Ahsoka had no more tears left to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more drama because i'm apparently against happiness :)


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of plotting going on

“Padmé, I need your help.”

The brunette looked up from her book. After all the excitement from Halloween, she had once again settled into her rigorous study routine- with breaks for meddling, of course.

Anakin stood before her, a look of determination on his face. His hands were folded behind his back and his posture was rigid, tense. Just from one glance she could tell that something serious was weighing on his mind.

“What’s the problem?” she asked, folding down a corner of the page and shutting her book. “Is it about Obi-Wan?”

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What? No!” he said quickly. “Why does everyone always ask about Obi-Wan?”

An amused smirk flashed across her lips before her face became stoic again. The Anakin/Obi-Wan issue was a discussion for another time. It was clear that something else was bothering Anakin. “If it’s not Obi-Wan, then what is it?”

He let out a heavy sigh. He knew it was wrong to tell Padmé. It wasn’t any of his business, and it definitely wasn’t any of hers. But Ahsoka was hurting, so he felt he had to try. “It’s about Ahsoka. And her roommate.”

She nodded, gesturing for him to continue. “What about them?”

He hesitated, but said, “I really shouldn’t be telling you, but I know if anyone can help, you can.” Padmé preened a bit at this comment. “Something… something happened between Barriss and Ahsoka, and now Ahsoka’s really upset. I think they’re both upset. And I can’t do much beyond comforting her, and I really want to help-”

Padmé cut him off in his ramblings by holding up a hand. “It’s really admirable how much you care for Ahsoka. I’d be happy to help.” Anakin let out a sigh of relief as he sat down across from her, relaxing into the plush cushions of the armchair.

“Thank you,” he breathed. He didn’t have a plan, but he figured that Padmé would figure something out. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that.”

“So, did you have a plan in mind?” she asked.

“Plan? I thought you were going to come up with a plan? You always have a plan.” Of course Anakin was flattering her a bit, but he was desperate for Padmé to lend a hand.

“That’s true,” she smiled. “I always do have a plan. I’ll need you to tell me a little bit more about what happened with Ahsoka and Barriss though.”

He deliberated for a moment before nodding. If he didn’t tell her, there was no way she could help. There was no way that things could get better for Ahsoka. He sat up in his seat and told her everything he knew.

////

After Anakin left the dorm on some mysterious errand, Rex and Ahsoka wandered down the hall to visit with Obi-Wan and Cody. Rex had recently learned to embrace his inner gossip thanks to Ahsoka and Anakin, but the drama that Obi-Wan and his brother discussed was on a whole other level.

“I’m just sick of her meddling,” Obi-Wan said. Ahsoka reclined on his bed, arms folded behind her head as she listened. Cody sat at his desk chair while Rex leaned against the wall, eyeing the three warily and thinking he was in way over his head. “Like, if anything did end up happening between me and Anakin, I wouldn’t want it to be because of Padmé’s involvement.”

“Dude, you need her. Without her, you wouldn’t be making  _ any  _ progress,” Cody said and Ahsoka snorted.

Obi-Wan looked to her. “What?”

“You said  _ if,”  _ she pointed out, sitting up and leaning against the headboard.

“What about it?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.

She rolled her eyes. “You guys are so  _ dense _ . I don’t know how Padmé deals with all this without banging her head against a wall!”

Obi-Wan looked to Cody in confusion. Cody just shook his head.

“You really  _ are  _ dense,” he supplied. “She’s not wrong about that.”

Rex could tell that Obi-Wan was growing even more perplexed. Then the redhead turned on him. “Rex, do you know what they’re talking about?” His forehead was creased in thought. Rex felt almost bad for him. He really had  _ no idea.  _

The Fett boy opened his mouth to speak, but cast a hesitant glance to Ahsoka. She was now sitting up, her legs dangling over the side of the bed. She nodded to him. “Well, uh, Obi-Wan…” He looked back to her desperately, and she rolled her eyes.

“What Rex is trying to say, Obi-Wan,” she started, and he turned quickly to her, “is that it’s more than likely that Anakin’s into you, too.”

“No, that can’t-”

“And the more you pretend he doesn’t the more frustrating it gets for us,  _ and _ for the two of you. I mean, Padmé lives off this stuff, but for everyone else, it’s a real pain in the ass,” she told him, eyes serious. She appeared to be quite worked up. Rex immediately began to worry that she didn’t have Anakin and Obi-Wan in mind at all, and that she was instead thinking of herself and Barriss. Without Skywalker, Rex didn’t know how to placate the girl.

But his brother was already speaking. “She’s right, you know,” Cody agreed.

“Since when are the two of you so chummy?” Obi-Wan asked, his eyes downcast. Once again he was deep in thought.

“I do love to talk about this stuff with you, but I think you should go for it. She’s close with Anakin, and she’s saying you have a chance.”

“You know, this was a lot easier when you guys just listened to me whine about my problems instead of offering legitimate life advice,” he remarked.

Ahsoka was swinging her legs, her breathing slow and easy. Rex was relieved to see that she had calmed down. “It’s no fun to watch people suffer,” she said. “And you and skyguy have a chance. You’re lucky.”

Although she was no longer so agitated, Rex could easily pick up on the quiet sadness that hung over her words and the wistfulness in her voice when she uttered the word  _ lucky.  _ He had to get her out of here soon.

////

When Anakin returned to the room, Ahsoka was lying in his bed, the blankets pulled tight around her. Rex sat at his desk, working on an essay. When the two had left Obi-Wan and Cody’s room, she hadn’t cried. She had just gotten into bed without a word and Rex had begun to work. This is how Anakin found them, in perfect silence.

He went to the bed. “You okay, Snips?” he asked, putting a hand on her arm.

She looked up at him. “I’m  _ fine,”  _ she stressed, but he could tell she wasn’t. “I’m sick of being your emotionally fragile friend.”

“Hey, it’s okay, Snips,” he assured. “Things’ll be fine soon.”

“How can you know that?” Ahsoka asked. “You can’t know that.”

“Just trust me,” he said warmly. “Now get some rest.”

Normally she would’ve wanted to argue, but she wanted nothing more than to sleep. As Anakin left her side, he saw Rex staring at the two. He had one eyebrow quizzically raised. He knew his friend was up to something. Anakin just smiled and shook his head.

////

“Padmé, seriously?” Riyo asked, her eyes squinting against the bright light of the laptop screen in the darkness of her bedroom. The two were having a sleepover, and Riyo did not take kindly to being woken up at 2 AM while her friend scrolled through Google. “What are you even doing?”

The brunette looked over to her friend, having enough grace to look apologetic. Riyo’s hair was mussed from sleep, and she had her hands shielding her eyes. “I need to come up with a plan to help Ahsoka and Barriss.”

“Did they ask you to help? Or are you just getting involved where you’re not needed?” Even half-asleep, Riyo was onto her.

“Anakin asked me to help,” she said, typing quickly, her fingers flying over the keys.

With her eyes finally adjusted, Riyo read over Padmé’s shoulder. “How to set up your friends romantically? On  _ wikihow? _ ”

“It’s a very helpful website,” she defended.

Riyo scanned the article. “This sounds like a guaranteed way to lose friends.”

“It’s not perfect. I’d have to tweak it a bit,” Padmé said. “But I have a knack for this sort of thing. It’s in my blood.”

Riyo just shook her head. “I can’t believe Anakin would put you up to this sort of thing. He seems like he has at least a bit of common sense.”

Padmé snorted. “Think again. He doesn’t. He’s just worried about his friend and knows I’m the best equipped to help. By the time I’m done, they’ll either be together or they will have come to an amicable understanding.” She scrolled down, reading the article. “I haven’t seen Ahsoka since the party, and she’s normally all over the place. It must be bad.”

“I hope you end up helping more than harming. Not everyone likes a meddler,” Riyo warned.

“Don’t worry, Chuchi,” Padmé said. “I’ve got this all under control.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your kudos and kind words. It means so much that you're enjoying this story!  
> I'd like to apologize that this chapter took a while to get up. I had a really busy week in school. Hopefully the next one won't take too long!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I just know he’s up to something. Padmé sucked him into some weird scheme.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad that so many people are enjoying this story!! It's so much fun to write. Sorry this chapter was a long wait, but school has been a bit busy for me, and I also had to work out how I wanted the whole Padmé/Anakin meddling plot to go.
> 
> Also, please check out [this awesome art](http://legobb8.tumblr.com/post/140638614073/padme-as-daisy-and-human-riyo-as-peach-from) by legobb8! It's so amazing to me that people are inspired enough by this story to actually draw stuff for it. It's really cool.

The next morning, Padmé left Riyo curled up snugly in bed as she slipped out for an early morning errand. As her door quietly clicked shut behind her, she looked around the hall. The door across the hall, belonging to Barriss and Ahsoka, was firmly shut and she could see no signs of light under the door. She knew that only Barriss was inside, and that fact made her heart ache. Padmé had to fix it.

Her feet treaded quietly on the blue carpet as she padded down the hallway. None of her hallmates were awake and the entire building was eerily quiet. After descended two flights of stairs, she found herself on Anakin’s floor. She knew from what Obi-Wan said that their RA was insanely strict, so she crept carefully past his door and down to the end of the hall.

She knocked briskly at the door, taking a step back to wait. Padmé knew it was early, and Anakin wouldn’t likely be happy to see her, but she needed to explain the plan. Early morning was ideal because there would be no interruptions.

Hushed voices could be heard from inside, and then the door opened to reveal Anakin, hair disheveled as he rubbed at his eyes. Obi-Wan would’ve killed to see him now, because even in the harsh fluorescent lights he looked perfect. “What is it?” he whined, his voice raspy from sleep.

“I really need to talk to you,” Padmé urgently answered. “It’s about the plan.”

“Plan?” he repeated, his face screwing up in thought. Grogginess made his mind lag. “Oh,” he remembered. “Do we really need to talk now?”

She nodded insistently.

He sighed but relented. “Okay, let me get my shoes.” He withdrew back into the room and she could hear Ahsoka’s tired questioning voice. Anakin answered her questions softly and vaguely. Inside the air conditioner ran quietly and the blinds were shut tight against the early morning light. “I’ll see you guys later,” he told them before leaving and closing the door behind him. He followed Padmé down the hall.

Inside the room, Rex’s eyes were still trained suspiciously on the door. “He’s up to something,” he said, tossing a glance over to Ahsoka.

In return, she threw a pillow out of him as she burrowed deeper into the blankets, desperately craving a few more hours of sleep. Rex dodged the pillow and was about to protest, but then he saw the snoozing lump curled up in Anakin’s blankets and let out a sigh, shaking his head fondly. He leaned back against his pillow, letting sleep take over.

////

None of the cafeterias were open so early in the morning, so Anakin and Padmé found themselves sitting on a bench by the quad, huddled close for warmth.

“Why couldn’t we just do this inside?” Anakin asked through gritted teeth, arms crossed to ward off the cold.

“I agree this wasn’t my best idea,” Padmé allowed, and he snorted. She nudged him to shut him up. “But inside Barriss and Ahsoka might hear! They can’t know what we’re up to.”

“Ahsoka and Barriss aren’t idiots,” he pointed out. “They’re asleep. It’s like… what? Five AM?”

She nodded. “Next time we’ll meet inside,” she said. “But I was up all night doing research, and I have an idea.”

“Let’s hear it, but after this, you owe me a coffee.”

“Fine, that’s fair,” Padmé agreed, and then launched into her idea. “I say that we each invite them out. I’ll invite Barriss out, and you invite Ahsoka. They’ll both go to the café or some place like that, and then they’ll have to start talking!” She clapped her hands excitedly, but Anakin looked unimpressed. “They’ll either talk out their feelings and get together, or they’ll come to an understanding and be friends!” Anakin raised a skeptical eyebrow and she twisted up her face in confusion. “What are you giving me that look for?”

“This took you all night to come up with?”

She nodded, cheeks flushing, though it wasn’t noticeable since the cold had already painted her face a faint red. “I know it’s not great, but it’s all I have. Are you on board?”

He sighed, stretching out his legs. Across the quad, he could see the campus beginning to come alive. The sign in the café window switched to open, and doors to dorm rooms were opening up as students arose for early morning classes. Anakin had doubts about Padmé’s plan, but if it would end well for Ahsoka, he had to give it a shot. He nodded slowly. “Okay, I’m in. Just tell me when, and I’ll do it.”

Padmé squealed in delight. “Thank you! I know you won’t be disappointed. Ahsoka will be back to smiling in no time!”

At that thought, Anakin smiled. He wanted nothing more than to see his friend happy again.

Padmé tugged at his arm. “Now how about that coffee?” she asked, getting to her feet and tucking a lock of dark hair behind her ear. Anakin nodded, getting to his feet. She linked arms with him and the two set out across the quad towards the café.

////

It was an hour later when Rex and Ahsoka woke up, with still two hours to go before the beginning of Yularen’s class. “Wanna go get breakfast?” Rex asked as he came back from the bathroom, wet toothbrush in hand.

Ahsoka sat up on Anakin’s bunk, swinging her feet as she twisted her dreadlocks up into a lopsided bun. “Sure,” she answered, hopping down and going to sit in the desk chair, pulling on her sneakers. “You think Anakin will make it to class? He’s been going on these weird errands recently.”

“I just know he’s up to something,” Rex informed her. “Padmé sucked him into some weird scheme. I don’t want to know what it’s about.”

Ahsoka rolled her eyes as she grabbed her bag and Rex pulled on his sweatshirt. “That’s bullshit. Of course you want to know.”

“You know, I was going to buy your breakfast, but if you’re going to be this way, you can just go hungry,” Rex teased as he opened the door. 

“ _ Fine,  _ I’m sorry,” Ahsoka huffed as they left the room and started down the hall. “I won’t make fun of you anymore.”

“Thank you,” Rex grinned, taking the steps down two at a time, while Ahsoka followed at a much slower rate due to her shorter legs. They met on the front steps of the dorm. He was smiling smugly at her while she gulped in cold air.

“You know I’m short! I’ll tell Anakin you did that, and he’ll kick your ass,” she threatened as she skipped down the steps. Rex easily fell into step beside her.

“Tell him when he gets to class. Maybe he’ll make another scene in front of Yularen.”

Ahsoka immediately knew what Rex was referring to, and she burst into laughter, pressing her hand to her mouth the muffle her giggles. “God, that was so funny. We really have to do that again.”

They reached the cafeteria, which was relatively empty. Only the students foolish enough to sign up for early morning classes were awake and motivated enough to go and get breakfast. Rex and Ahsoka dropped off their bags in the cubbies near the entrance and then got into line for scrambled eggs and bacon.

“I hate powdered eggs,” Rex grumbled.

Ahsoka broke up the block of eggs with the serving spoon and put a heaping pile on her plate. She offered the spoon to Rex, but he wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “No need to complain, Rexy. In a few weeks you’ll get to go home for Thanksgiving and I really hope your parents don’t make you powdered eggs.”

He shook his head as he followed her to the fruit bar. “Nope. No powdered eggs.” 

“You like pineapple?” Ahsoka asked as she put a bowl on her tray and filled it up with wedges of the yellow fruit.

“Yeah,” he said and she got two forks for them to share. 

Together, they found a table and sat down. While the middle of the dining hall was full of long rectangular tables, on the outskirts were smaller tables that sat two or four people. They dug into their meal, the bowl of fruit sitting between them.

Throughout the whole morning, Ahsoka had been her usual bright and spunky self. However, when they began to eat, Rex took note of the way her eyes searched the cafeteria nervously and her shoulders slumped forward. Barriss was still on her mind, and Rex wasn’t sure what to do without Anakin around.

“Ahsoka, I have something I feel like I should tell you,” he said before he could regret it.

She looked up from her plate, curiously. “What is it?”

“It’s about Barriss,” he started, and she visibly tensed. “I know I told you to go to Anakin with these problems, since I’m not really good at this stuff, but I can tell it’s still bothering you- which is completely normal! I just… I think you’ll feel better if you talk to her. It’s been a lot of fun having you bunking with me and Anakin, but you have to go back sometime. Even if you don’t tell her how you feel about her, I think you’ll be happier if you make amends with Barriss.”

After he finished, Ahsoka was quiet for a long while, and Rex feared he had offended her. Her eyes remained glued to her plate and her shoulders hunched forward even more than before. She was curling in on herself.

Finally, she looked up, letting out a breath. “I guess you’re right, Rex,” she said. “I really appreciate your advice.” She sat quietly a few moments longer, ruminating on what he had said. With a quick bob of her head, she smiled. “You know, I think I’ll go by our room after class. And I’ll tell her I’m sorry, and we’ll be friends. It’ll be fine!”

They gathered up their plates, still covered in half-eaten food, and cleaned up the table.

“Rex,” Ahsoka said as they left the cafeteria, the sleeves of Anakin’s sweatshirt pulled down to cover her hands, “You may not think you’re great at advice, but I really appreciate all your help. I mean, you didn’t have to put up with me invading your dorm for a week, but you did. You’re a really good friend.”

“It’s no problem, kid,” he grinned, ducking his head.

They left behind the warmth and comfort of the cafeteria, and together they sped across campus to their 8:00 AM class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a comment!!


	18. Chapter 18

Anakin slid into his seat just as Yularen began his lecture. Ahsoka and Rex sent questioning glances his way, but he avoided eye contact with both of them. Ahsoka jabbed at him with her pencil, but he pretended not to feel it. She shared a look with Rex and shrugged, giving up. After that, the class dragged on, slow and boring. Anakin did his best to focus on the board and take notes. If he missed anything, he’d ask Rex later. That boy was one of the most efficient and diligent people he’d ever met.

As soon as Yularen dismissed the class, Ahsoka popped out of her seat and grabbed her bag. Anakin looked on, his eyes wide, as she scooted past him and ran out the door. 

He leaned forward in his seat, tapping Rex, who sat in front of him. “Where’s she going?” he asked, pointing after their friend.

Rex got up and turned to Anakin, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. “Maybe she’ll tell you once you tell us what you’ve been up to lately.”

“That’s not fair,” Anakin protested as he followed the Fett boy out of the classroom. Rex gave him a look. “Okay,” he relented. “It’s a little bit fair. But I promise I have a good reason. You’ll see.”

“I think you’ve said that before,” Rex laughed. Anakin looked a bit peeved, so Rex nudged him good-naturedly. “I’m just messing with you. If you and Kenobi want to keep it quiet, that’s cool.”

“What? Why does everyone think that?” Anakin asked, turning bright pink. “It has  _ nothing  _ to do with Obi-Wan.”

Rex clapped his hand over his mouth, shaking with laughter. “If you say so, Skywalker,” he teased, and Anakin shoved him, mouth flattened into a straight line. “Okay, relax, I was kidding with you. You don’t have to tell me.”

Anakin rolled his eyes but allowed a small smile. “Let’s just get back to the dorm. I’m exhausted.”

“Not hard to believe, considering you left at 5:00 AM,” Rex pointed out.

“Yeah, I really regret that,” he nodded.

The walk back to Coruscant was short enough, but the two boys moved even faster in the brisk cold, their breath foggy in the chilly air. The building soon came into view, and the bright sunlight reflected off the closed windows. Rex averted his eyes, instead watching his feet. Anakin had fallen quiet, and he hoped it was because he was tired. Silence could usually tip him off that something was bothering Anakin. He wore his heart on his sleeve and his feelings were clear for all to see. Anakin liked to pretend he was hard to read, but anyone who knew him even a little bit could see right through him. Like Ahsoka, his roommate was given to intense mood swings, something that Rex was not equipped to handle. 

In his family, all of the Fett brothers were straightforward with each other. They always called it how they saw it. There was none of this moodiness and prancing around feelings. When it came to Anakin and Ahsoka, Rex was completely unprepared. College had taken him out of his element in more ways than one.

They climbed the stairs, and even though Anakin dragged his feet he was faster than Rex. As they neared the end of the hall, Obi-Wan exited his room, shutting the door behind him. “Hello, Rex, Anakin,” he greeted, and Anakin looked up and came to an abrupt stop.

“Hey,” Rex said back, moving past his shell-shocked roommate to unlock their door. Anakin simply waved.

“Anakin, I think we should talk,” Obi-Wan said. “Would tomorrow for lunch work?”

Rex looked to his friend, who looked surprised. “Oh, yeah, that’s fine,” he nodded, his cheeks tinged pink.

“Great! See you then,” Obi-Wan said, nodding curtly. They parted ways and Anakin rushed into their dorm, face flushing.

Rex smirked as he shut the door. Subtlety was not his friend’s strong suit.

////

After class ended, it was only a matter of minutes before Ahsoka was bounding up the steps of Coruscant to the fifth floor. Her hall perfectly mirrored Anakin’s, down to the radiator in front of the far window, but it still seemed foreign. She hadn’t been up to her dorm room for a week.

She knew that Barriss had no classes before noon, and she used her mornings to study and finish up homework. When she worked, she stayed in the room, sitting at her desk. She typed on her laptop or read over her essays again and again, marking them up with red pen. Just thinking about her roommate made Ahsoka’s heart tighten.

Confronting her like this scared her, but Rex’s advice spurred her on. She couldn’t rely on Anakin to protect her forever. Even though it was her own room, she still knocked on the door.

She could hear nothing inside, but she could see the strip of light under the door, so she knew Barriss was home. A few seconds later, the door opened. Barriss was wearing a blue hijab, like she normally did, and a sweater and jeans. She looked surprised to see Ahsoka. After a moment, a smile overtook her face. Barriss launched herself forward and Ahsoka caught her in her arms, overwhelmed by the smell of perfume and laundry detergent as her hands fisted in the back of her shirt.

She wanted to kiss her so badly, but before she could even begin to chastise herself for even thinking something like that, Barriss began to speak. “Ahsoka, you’re back!” she cried, her grip on her friend tightening. “I thought you hated me. I was so scared I’d lost you. I’m really sorry.” With those words, Ahsoka picked up on the shaky edge in Barriss’s voice.

She pulled back, her hands moving to rest at Barriss’s elbows. “Are you… crying?” Sure enough, there were tears pooling in her roommate’s eyes and making trails down her cheeks. Barriss nodded, swallowing thickly. “Hey, there’s no need to cry,” Ahsoka said, pulling her close again. “And you don’t need to be sorry. I’m the one who’s sorry. I was a real jerk. I made a stupid mistake and then I thought avoiding you would make it go away.”

As Ahsoka rubbed circles into Barriss’s back, the girl seemed to calm down. She pulled back and Ahsoka released her grip, instead entwining her fingers with her roommate’s. Barriss wiped at her eyes with her other hand.

“So… for probably the hundredth time, can we start over?” Ahsoka asked, small smile on her face.

Barriss laughed, casting her eyes to the ground. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Great,” Ahsoka beamed, pulling her friend into a tight hug. “I’ve gotta go right now and take care of a few things, but I’ll be back tonight, and we can hang out.”

The two shared smiles and nods before Ahsoka sprinted out the door.

////

After banging on the door for a few seconds, Rex opened it. “What do you want? Skywalker’s trying to sleep?”

“I just wanted to let you know that you’re the best and your advice is the greatest!” Ahsoka exclaimed, stepping into the room. “I’m going back tonight. I just have to grab my stuff.” She walked over to the drawers under Anakin’s bed and began looking for her things.

In the bed, Anakin stirred. “Snips, you’re here,” he said sleepily.

“Hey, skyguy,” she greeted, shoving clothes into her backpack.

“Are you free tomorrow?” he asked. “Would you want to get lunch with me?”

She nodded. “That sounds good.”

“Would the café at 1:00 work?”

“Yeah, I’m free,” Ahsoka answered, shutting the drawer. “I’ll see you then. Get some rest.” She slung her bag over her shoulder. “Bye, Rex.” With that, she skipped out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

Rex, standing by his desk, regarded Anakin curiously. His friend was up to something, and he knew it couldn’t be good.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is really short and really bad yikes
> 
> i've been super busy lately and i'm about to get even busier so i knew i had to post something. the next chapter will be super dramatic so look out for that :) thanks so much for reading


	19. Chapter 19

A knock on the door sent Barriss scrambling to her feet, excitement bubbling up inside her. She smoothed down the front of her shirt and pushed in her desk chair. She felt that no matter how long she lived with Ahsoka, she would never get over the thrill she got just from seeing her. Knowing that her problems with her roommate in the past, Barriss had an extra spring in her step as she walked to the doors. Things would be okay.

As she opened the door, her smile momentarily fell.

“Hi!” Padmé chirped.

It wasn’t Ahsoka at all.

“Oh, hi, Padmé,” she answered, stepping back to allow the girl into her room.

“I’m actually in a bit of a hurry right now. I have a class across campus that starts in ten minutes,” Padmé explained. “I was just wondering if you wanted to get lunch with me at the café tomorrow. Around one?”

“Sure,” Barriss nodded, confused by the invitation. “Thank you. I’ll see you then.”

“Bye,” Padmé waved, smiling brightly. Barriss shut the door as she hurried away and sat back down at her desk. Her waiting resumed.

////

It was a few hours later when Anakin woke up from his nap.

“Hey, Rex,” he yawned, sitting up and carding his hands through his tangled hair. He blinked a few times to clear his vision. “What time is it?

“Almost one,” Rex answered, setting aside his homework and rising from his desk. He leaned against his bed, his hands clasped in front of him. “Is it okay if I ask you something?”

Anakin nodded as he hopped out of bed. “Sure. What is it?”

“That thing with Padmé this morning,” he started. “What was it about? And you invited Ahsoka to lunch right after Kenobi asked you… I just don’t really get it.”

“Oh… that…” Anakin trailed off, eyes scanning the floor as if searching for an explanation. He had tried to be as secretive as possible, but somehow Rex had figured it out.

“I don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, but if it involves Padmé, I’m guessing that means it’s none of your business,” Rex said, trying to keep his voice soft to downplay the harshness of his words. His eyes remained locked on Anakin for a few moments before he let out a small sigh. “Just like, with whatever you’re doing, be careful. Don’t do anything that’ll get someone into trouble.”

Anakin looked back up, surprised. He had expected Rex to angry with him. “Don’t worry, Rex. No one’s going to get hurt.” While he was touched that Rex knew him well enough to see through his deception and worry for him, he felt frustrated as well. He could take care of himself and didn’t need his friend acting like he had done something wrong. “I appreciate what you’re trying to say. I have to go.”

“Oh.” Rex was surprised as Anakin pulled on his shoes. He hadn’t meant to offend his friend, but he realized that he had probably overstepped his boundaries. Even though he acted tough, he really cared about his friends and how they were feeling. He didn’t like the cold hardness in Anakin’s eyes. “I’ll see you later then.” 

The dark-haired boy nodded, distracted. “Yeah. I’ll see you.” He grabbed his jacket and bag and left the room as quick as he could. He didn’t like to walk out on Rex like that. He just needed time out of the room. He needed time to come to terms with these seeds of doubt planted in him. Was he doing the right thing? 

Anakin was tempted to go see Obi-Wan, but he didn’t want to burden him with all of his problems. Before long, he found himself sitting on a bench by the quad. His eyes were cast down, studying the contrast between his dark sneakers and the bright brick walkway. Rex was only trying to help, but Anakin had a hard time accepting that. He didn’t like for his friend to think he was weak. He could take care of himself. 

“Anakin?”

He looked up, face sullen, and saw Riyo, her lavender hair mussed by the wind. “Hi,” he greeted.

“You look like shit. What happened?” she asked, dropping her bag to the ground and plopping down on the bench beside him.

“Thanks, I appreciate it,” he said, letting out a humorless snort. “It’s just... “ He paused, wondering how to explain. He had barely had a proper conversation with Riyo, so he wasn’t sure if he should even tell her to start with. “I’m in a tight spot.”

“Care to elaborate?” Riyo asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Well, it has to do with Ahsoka and Barriss,” he explained. “Ahsoka’s been really upset recently, and more than anything I just want her to be happy. So I went to Padmé, and she had an idea to fix it, so I agreed to help her.”

“That’s  _ never  _ a good idea,” she pointed out. “She told me about that part. But just seeing you sitting out here and looking so miserable- it seems to me like you’ve had second thoughts.”

He nodded, looking over at her. The campus around them was bleak and grey. The only color came from Riyo’s bright hair, streaming out behind her in the breeze. “Yeah, I guess I have.” Anakin dropped his eyes back down. The situation with Rex confused him, and he struggled to put his feelings into words. “I haven’t told anyone else about it, but when I woke up, Rex was asking about it. And he was telling me to be careful and make sure no one gets hurt.” He looked over to her, shrugging. “I mean, I guess he’s trying to be nice and I appreciate his help, but…”

“But what?” Riyo prodded. “It seems like he was giving sound advice.”

“I just don’t really like getting help from people,” Anakin answered. When he said it out loud, he felt really stupid. “I prefer to handle things on my own. I don’t want Rex to think I can’t handle myself.”

“Nobody thinks that,” Riyo insisted. “But you’re obviously really conflicted about this whole thing. Maybe you shouldn’t go through with it.”

He shook his head. “I have to. It’s for Ahsoka.”

Riyo nodded, tucking her wild hair behind her ears. “Okay, I won’t argue. But come on, let’s get you inside. It’s freezing out here.”

“Thanks, Riyo,” he smiled, getting up, legs numb from the cold.

“Hey, it’s no problem. I know how Padmé can fuck a person up,” she said knowingly.

He raised an eyebrow at that, and Riyo grinned and shook her head, cheeks turning pink. “I won’t ask.”

“Thank you,” she laughed.

The two began walking, the bench once again devoid of life on a seemingly empty campus.

////

“I just need you to tell me if this was a good idea.”

Cody looked over tiredly at his roommate. He had been trying to get work done for hours, but when Obi-Wan was in a mood like this, it was impossible to ignore him. He had been pacing for half an hour, asking the same question over and over and becoming increasingly dissatisfied with Cody’s answers.

“Shouldn’t you be asking Padmé? Why don’t you invite her over?” he offered.

“Cody, come on, I really need your help. Was it right to ask Anakin to lunch?” Before Cody could even begin to answer, Obi-Wan had turned on his heel, resuming his pacing, and spoke again. “We haven’t really hung out at all since the party. This lunch could turn out to be a big deal. I’m not sure if I’m ready!”

“Think of it this way,” Cody started, setting down his pencil in defeat and turning to face his friend. “You’ve already invited him. You can’t cancel on him. It’ll be fine.”

“You can say that all you want. That doesn’t mean it’s true,” Obi-Wan said, stopping his pacing and leaning against his dresser. But his roommate had made a fair point, and he fell silent.

Victorious, Cody picked up his pencil, finally able to get some work done.

////

Anakin had woken up an hour before, but still he remained in bed, staring at the ceiling, deep in thought. When he had returned to the dorm the night before, the air between him and Rex had been quiet and tense. His talk with Riyo had made him even more uncertain, and as late morning light streamed through the window, he reflected on his decision.

Rex was still asleep in his bunk, and in two hours Ahsoka would be unknowingly going to meet Barriss for lunch. Anakin kept telling himself that he was doing it for her own good. Once this issue was resolved with Barriss, Ahsoka would be back to her happy self. Seeing his friend so miserable had eaten away at him for the past week. At this point he would do anything to help her.

Then again, he feared that she would be angry with him. It wasn’t his place to meddle, and it wasn’t his place to get anyone else involved. He had betrayed her trust. The thought of Ahsoka no longer being his friend made him feel sick to his stomach.

But then he remembered when he had first met Ahsoka. He recalled the carefree smile on her face and how unguarded she was with her words. His heart warmed at these memories and he knew he had made his decision.

Down the hall, he could faintly hear showers running as his hallmates woke up and began their days. He looked across the room at Rex, taking in the slow rise and fall of his friend’s chest. He wondered if Rex was as torn up about what happened the day before as he was. Anakin focused on the patches of light falling across his friend’s face and along the floor. He thought of anything he could to distract himself from Ahsoka.

Padmé’s plan was a good one, and it would make Barriss and Ahsoka happy. He had made his decision and he was confident about it.

As he looked back up to the ceiling, studying the cracks in the paint, he let out a sigh.

When it came to his decision, he wasn’t sure at all.

////

Ahsoka was pulling on her shoes when she heard a knock on her door. “Coming!” she called, hurriedly tying the laces to her sneakers. She opened the door to see Anakin, wringing his hands and looking guilty. He rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. “What’s wrong with you?” the girl asked, stepping aside to let him in.

Anakin entered the room, fueled by nervous energy. He turned to face her, taking in the concerned expression on her face. He hoped she would still be looking at him with that much care in a few minutes. “I did something really stupid.”

She shut the door and furrowed her eyebrows. “What do you mean, skyguy? You do a lot of stupid things.”

For a moment, he allowed himself to smile. When she called him skyguy, he knew that nothing could go wrong. They were friends- he would apologize and the two would move on.

“This is sort of a big one,” he told her.

“If you’re trying to scare me, you’re succeeding,” Ahsoka answered, crossing her arms and surveying him closely.

He fidgeted under her gaze. Her steely eyes made him worry. “You remember Barriss, right?” Anakin asked.

“It would be hard to forget her.”

Anakin nodded. “Well, you’ve been really upset for a long time. I really wanted to help you out, but it’s not like Rex or Obi-Wan or I could do anything to make you feel better.” He looked up to her nervously and found that her eyes still bore fiercely into him. He decided to bite the bullet and plowed forward, saying, “So I went to Padmé for help.”

Ahsoka’s expression quickly turned to one of horror. “ _ Padmé?  _ You went to  _ her _ ?” Her eyes flickered and gave way to anger. “What did you do?” Her voice was cold, and Anakin flinched.

“I’m really sorry, snips. She wanted me to invite you to lunch, and she’d invite Barriss, and so you two would have to talk to each other,” he explained hurriedly. Ahsoka’s stare was intense and furious. Anakin was not one to back down, but his friend had him successfully cornered. “I know it really wasn’t my place to-”

“You’re right,” she cut in. “It wasn’t your place at all. It’s none of your business! I can’t believe you’d get involved. I can’t believe you’d get  _ Padmé  _ involved.” She finished tying her shoes and grabbed her bag. “Where’s Barriss now?”

“At the café,” he answered miserably.

“Bye,” Ahsoka said shortly, the hard edge in her voice not dissipating. She hurried to the door and left Anakin alone.

////

Obi-Wan was not prepared for the miserable face on his friend’s face as he slid into the seat across from him in the cafeteria. “Anakin, what’s wrong?” he asked.

Anakin’s eyes were red and his mouth pressed into a tight line. He looked more miserable than Obi-Wan had seen him for quite awhile. His friend took a shaky breathe and then began to speak, “I did a really really bad thing.”

Obi-Wan looked over, eyes full of understanding. He reached over and covered his friend’s hand with his smaller one. “I’m sure it wasn’t that bad,” he assured. “Tell me about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took forever. I've been busy and also i've been going through some bad stuff but here's the chapter. the next chapter is the twentieth one and i'm super pumped.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy!!  
> also, feel free to come talk to me on tumblr, oboecannoli.tumblr.com


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